Religious Discrimination Attorneys in Los Angeles, CA

Representing Employees Who Have Experienced Religious Discrimination

It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against an employee or potential employee on the basis of religion. Individuals who have experienced this type of discrimination may be eligible for compensation.

What Is Religious Discrimination?

Federal and state laws generally make it illegal for employers to discharge, fail to promote, fail to hire or otherwise mistreat an individual because of his or her religious beliefs or observances. It is also religious discrimination when an employer fails to provide an employee with a requested reasonable religious accommodation.

What Religious Accommodations Are Employers Required to Provide?

An employer must make reasonable accommodations for an employee who wishes to observe religious holidays, wear religious clothing, or observe other religious practices as long as they do not create an undue hardship for the company. Examples of undue hardships include religious practices that cause security or health hazards, substantial costs to the company, or a lack of necessary staffing.

Common accommodations may include:

• Exceptions to the company’s dress and grooming code such as allowing an employee to wear a religious headscarf (hijab) or skullcap (yarmulke), or allowing an employee to keep a long beard for religious reasons
• Schedule accommodations for an employee to attend church services such as on Good Friday, or to allow daily prayers at specific times of the day
• Change in job duties
• Excusal from religious invocations at company meetings

Examples of Religious Discrimination in the Workplace

Religious discrimination in the workplace can take many forms. Common examples include refusing to hire someone because of their religious background, denying promotions due to an individual’s religion, or creating a hostile work environment through discriminatory behavior. For instance, if an employer prohibits an employee from wearing religious clothing or forces an employee to work on religious holidays despite reasonable accommodations being possible, such actions violate federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

Other examples include:

• Unfair Treatment: An employee is mocked or treated differently because of their religious practices, such as fasting or attending religious observances.
• Exclusionary Policies: Policies that disproportionately affect employees of certain religions, such as bans on religious dress or observances, without valid justification.
• Retaliation: Terminating or demoting an employee for filing a religious discrimination claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or a similar agency.
• Failure to Accommodate: Refusing to adjust work schedules or duties to allow employees to practice their religion, even when it would not cause undue hardship.

If you believe you have experienced such discrimination, consulting a religious discrimination lawyer can help you understand your rights and pursue justice.

Religious Discrimination vs. Religious Harassment

Religious discrimination and religious harassment are closely related but distinct. While religious discrimination involves adverse actions taken against an employee because of their religion, religious harassment focuses on creating a hostile work environment through offensive conduct related to an employee’s religious beliefs or practices.

Religious harassment may include:

• Verbal Abuse: Mocking an employee’s religious creed, practices, or beliefs.
• Physical Harassment: Threatening or intimidating an employee because of their religious affiliation.
• Hostile Environment: Repeatedly making derogatory remarks about a particular religion or organized religions in general.

Federal and state laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), protect employees against both religious discrimination and harassment. Employers must address complaints and take steps to prevent such behavior from occurring in the workplace. Failure to do so can result in liability for the employer.

If you’ve faced religious harassment, reaching out to an experienced religious discrimination attorney in Los Angeles can help you navigate your case and seek remedies.

The Main California Laws That Protect Employees Against Religious Discrimination

California provides robust protections for employees facing religious discrimination through state-specific laws in addition to federal protections under the Civil Rights Act.

California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is one of the primary state laws protecting employees against discrimination in the workplace. It explicitly prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on an individual’s religion. Employers are required to:

• Provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious practices and sincerely held beliefs unless doing so would impose an undue hardship.
• Prevent and address any discriminatory or harassing behavior in the workplace.

Under FEHA, religious practices are broadly defined and include religious observances, religious dress, and religious grooming practices. An employee’s religion does not have to be tied to a particular religion or organized religions; sincerely held personal beliefs also qualify for protection.

Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 (WFRA)

The Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WFRA) strengthens protections under FEHA by ensuring that employers provide reasonable accommodations for religious practices unless they can demonstrate that doing so would create a significant difficulty or expense. This law also emphasizes the protection of religious dress and grooming practices, such as wearing a hijab, yarmulke, or other religious clothing.

Employers must show that accommodations would cause undue hardship, which under California law is interpreted more strictly than under federal law. For example, an employer cannot claim undue hardship solely based on customer preferences or minor costs. This distinction makes California one of the most protective states for employees facing religious discrimination in the workplace.

Exemptions from Religious Discrimination

While federal and state laws offer strong protections against religious discrimination, there are certain exemptions. For example, religious organizations and institutions may be exempt from some anti-discrimination laws under the “ministerial exception.” This means they can make employment decisions based on religious criteria if the position is central to the organization’s religious mission.

Examples of such exemptions include:

• A church requiring its ministers to adhere to its specific religious creed.
• A religious school prioritizing hiring teachers of a certain religion to maintain its religious identity.

However, these exemptions are not absolute. For instance, a religious organization cannot use its status as an excuse to discriminate based on race, national origin, or gender. If you believe an employer is improperly claiming an exemption, consulting with a religious discrimination lawyer can help clarify your rights.

Protecting Victims of Workplace Discrimination

If you have experienced religious discrimination, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg can help you explore your legal options and enforce your employee rights. To speak to an employment law attorney in Los Angeles, contact us online or call 323-746-1853. You can also reach us at our New York office by calling 646-992-2184.