A North Carolina dental practice accused of refusing to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs by not allowing her to wear a scrub skirt instead of pants has agreed to pay to settle the allegations, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The Teeth Doctors, operated by Dr. Jeremiah Davis in Fayetteville, NC, agreed to pay $61,000 to resolve the EEOC religious discrimination charge, according to a press release dated August 4 from the EEOC.
The EEOC investigation found that The Teeth Doctors violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when the practice reportedly failed to provide the employee with a religious accommodation and instead fired her after she requested to wear a skirt due to her religious beliefs. The law prohibits religious discrimination because of an individual’s religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate the employee’s religious observance or practice unless it leads to undue hardship.
Following the investigation, the EEOC’s prelitigation process resulted in a settlement requiring the dental practice to provide back pay and compensatory damages. Additionally, the practice agreed to establish or update written policies and procedures prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on religion and requiring training for its supervisors on equal employment opportunity rights and responsibilities.
Finally, The Teeth Doctors agreed to post a notice regarding the resolution of this matter, according to the press release.
