Quest Diagnostics Settles Religious Discrimination Lawsuit with Adventist Employee for $90,000

Quest Diagnostics has settled a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a Seventh-day Adventist employee. The company agreed to pay $90,000 and implement new policies to address the case. The employee, a phlebotomist in Rockwall, Texas, had previously received time off to accommodate her religious beliefs, which include observing Saturday as a day of rest and avoiding secular work during that time.

The EEOC alleged that during the employee’s 10th year with Quest in 2019, the company denied her religious accommodation and terminated her after she failed to work scheduled Saturday shifts. The Seventh-day Adventist faith observes Saturday as a day of worship and rest, aligning with the biblical command to keep the Sabbath holy.

A Quest Diagnostics spokesperson stated the company is committed to fostering a diverse workplace and emphasized that it fully complied with all applicable laws. The spokesperson noted the settlement was reached to avoid the costs and disruption of prolonged litigation, with no admission of liability.

In addition to the monetary settlement, Quest agreed to adopt a religious accommodation policy, establish a protocol for its employee relations department, and provide annual training at the Rockwall location where the employee worked. Meaghan Kuelbs, a senior trial attorney with the EEOC, highlighted the importance of evaluating each request for religious accommodation to determine if it creates an undue hardship for a business.

Quest Diagnostics operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. It manages laboratories at five Centura hospitals in Denver, including Avista Adventist Hospital, Littleton Adventist Hospital, and Porter Adventist Hospital. The company reported approximately 49,000 employees and $9.54 billion in revenue in 2020.

Source: Read the original report