Georgia grocery chain settles religious discrimination lawsuit for $65,000

The EEOC says a Hazlehurst employee asked to have Sundays off to observe her Sabbath and was later fired.

HAZLEHURST, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- A Georgia grocery store operator has agreed to pay $65,000 to settle a federal lawsuit involving a worker who asked to have Sundays off for religious reasons.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says the employee worked as a deli clerk at the Piggly Wiggly in Hazlehurst when she asked for Sundays off to observe her Sabbath.

According to the lawsuit, her supervisor denied the request and told her that if the store gave her Sundays off, it would have to do the same for everyone else.

The EEOC says the employee kept asking for the accommodation and was fired in January 2025.

Reynolds IGA Foodliner, which owns and operates the store, has now agreed to pay the former employee $65,000 to settle the case.

“Employers cannot deny religious accommodation requests simply for fear of upsetting other employees,” said Marcus G. Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District.

The EEOC says federal law requires employers to reasonably accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs and practices unless doing so would create an undue hardship.

As part of the two-year settlement, Reynolds IGA Foodliner will also have to update its religious accommodation procedures and provide training to managers, supervisors and human resources staff.

The company will also be required to post a workplace notice about employees’ rights and report future religious accommodation requests and discrimination complaints to the EEOC.

“Employers must thoughtfully consider each request for religious accommodation on an individual, case-by-case basis,” EEOC Atlanta District Director Darrell E. Graham said.