Wal-Mart Legally Justified in Firing Antigay Worker Court Rules
Wal-Mart did not violate an employee's civil rights when the company fired her for making antigay comments to fellow worker, a federal appeals court ruled last week. Tanisha Matthews was working as an overnight stocker from 1996 to 2005 in an Illinois Wal-Mart. One night during a break, the Apostolic Christian engaged with other workers about homosexuality, debating whether LGBT people were headed to Hell.
Wal-Mart did not violate an employee's civil rights when the company fired her for making antigay comments to fellow worker, a federal appeals court ruled last week.
Tanisha Matthews was working as an overnight stocker from 1996 to 2005 in an Illinois Wal-Mart. One night during a break, the Apostolic Christian engaged with other workers about homosexuality, debating whether LGBT people were headed to Hell, according toEdge Chicago. Several witnesses said Matthews told a lesbian employee, Amy, that she was going to Hell because God does not accept gay people.
After an internal three-month investigation by Wal-Mart, Matthews was fired for violating the chain's non-harassment policy. She countered by suing the company, claiming it had violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act, for firing her based on her religious beliefs.
"Wal-Mart fired her because she violated company policy when she harassed a co-worker, not because of her beliefs and employers need not relieve workers from complying with neutral workplace rules as a religious accommodation if it would create an undue hardship," the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
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