No Title VII Liability For Refusing To Hire Applicant Who Will Not Furnish Social Security Number

In Yeager v. FirstEnergy Generation Corp., (6th Cir., Jan. 28, 2015), the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employer is not liable under Title VII or Ohio's anti-discrimination law when the employer refuses to hire an applicant because the applicant has not furnished a social security number.  The Internal Revenue Code requires employers to collect and provide employees' social security numbers.  Plaintiff Donald Yeager disavowed his social security number for religious reasons-- he believes it is the "mark of the beast" referred to in the Book of Revelation. The court said:

Title VII does not require an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs if such accommodation would violate a federal statute.

Cleveland.com has details of the case beyond those set out by the 6th Circuit in its per curiam opinion.