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Read Full BioThe Venetian Resort casino in Las Vegas has agreed to pay an $850,000 settlement to employees over claims of religious discrimination.
A lawsuit was filed against the luxury hotel and casino resort by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The lawsuit alleged that the company refused to accommodate the religious beliefs of some employees and retaliated against those who spoke up.
In a statement on the EEOC’s official site, EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas said, “The law protects the rights of workers in our pluralistic society to live out their various faiths in the workplace.
“As this case shows, reasonable accommodation might look like, among other things, allowing certain days off for Sabbatarians or Buddhists and allowing beards for Orthodox Christians. It also means not punishing anyone who speaks out in favor of these rights.”
Venetian To Be More Accommodating Under New Owners
Anna Park, Regional Attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District, whose jurisdiction includes Las Vegas, commented, “We commend the Venetian Resort for their cooperation in the early resolution of this lawsuit and agreeing to implement proactive measures to ensure religious accommodation requests are handled more effectively.”
The Venetian was sold by Las Vegas Sands to Apollo Global Management along with other assets in a $6.25 billion deal in 2022. The lawsuit had been filed before the sale.
Terms of the settlement also require that the Venetian retain a third-party, independent monitor to assist with the review and revision of its religious accommodation policies and complaint procedures, as well as the tracking of the Venetian’s compliance for the next 36 months.
Park went on to remind companies of their obligations to protect employees’ religious beliefs. She stated, “Employers are reminded of the importance of understanding their obligations under Title VII in accommodating religious beliefs of their employees, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the standard for granting religious accommodations.”
Employers Face Stricter Rules Around Religious Accommodations
In new standards set in 2023, the Supreme Court stated that employers cannot deny employees religious accommodations unless they demonstrate “substantial increased cost in relation to the conduct of the business.”
The stricter standards came on the back of a US Postal worker suing his employers for refusing to grant him Sundays off due to his evangelical Christian beliefs. The postal service disciplined Gerald Groff for missing work after expanding its services to deliver Amazon packages on Sundays.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Groff’s favor, stating that the previous interpretation of the law was too lenient and employees have greater rights to make requests based on religion.
In another ruling against a casino operator, a jury awarded $133,000 to an employee at the MGM Grand Detroit who was fired for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine due to religious beliefs.
An attorney in the case commented that, “Neither the government nor a corporation has a right to force an individual to choose between his or her career and conscience.”
