Plaintiff, Fired For Wearing Christian Lanyard, Can Proceed With Suit

In Hickey v. State University of New York at Stony Brook Hospital, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105182 (ED NY, July 27, 2012), a New York federal district court denied cross-motions for summary judgment in a Title VII religious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit by a painter in the hospital's Physical Plant Department whose employment was terminated  for insisting on wearing a lanyard around his neck printed with the phrase "I ♥ Jesus." Attached to the lanyard was a plastic badge  holder with hand written religious messages on it. The hospital claimed this conflicted with its uniform policy.  It also alleged other job performance issues, including alleged proselytizing.