Wrongful Termination Based on Religion

Discrimination Attorneys Helping Los Angeles Employees

If you believe that you were fired for your religious beliefs, you may be able to bring a wrongful termination lawsuit against your former employer in California. Both the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and federal Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protect religious freedom, including accommodations for prayer, time off for religious services, and religious holidays. At The Nourmand Law Firm, our Los Angeles wrongful termination lawyers may be able to assist you in bringing a lawsuit for a wrongful termination based on religion.

Take Action for Being Fired Due to Religious Beliefs or Practices

Employment is at-will in California, which means that your employer may usually fire you for no reason or for any reason. However, it is illegal to violate public policy when firing an employee. Both federal and state laws prohibit discrimination on numerous grounds because certain types of discrimination are considered to be against public policy.

One such example is when someone is terminated based on their religious beliefs. For example, if you are Muslim and are told that your hijab violates company-wide dress code, and then you are terminated for noncompliance with the dress code, it is possible that you experienced a wrongful termination based on religion.

Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), religion is a protected category. An employer covered by either of these laws may not take any adverse actions against an employee due to their religious beliefs. Religious discrimination may happen in different ways. Any time that an employer makes a decision that adversely affects an employee due to the employee’s faith or creed, it is possible that there was discrimination. This includes failing to provide reasonable accommodation for religious beliefs.

An employer may only deny a reasonable accommodation if providing it would cause undue hardship to the company. Under FEHA, the employer needs to show that providing the accommodation would have caused significant expense when considering such factors as the nature and cost of the accommodation, the business’ overall financial resources, the effect on operations and the type of operations, and the geographic location of the facility where the accommodation is to be provided.

In most cases, it is not going to be appropriate for an employer to terminate an employee for requesting reasonable accommodation related to their religion. Such an argument might only be legitimate if the requested accommodation posed a safety concern. However, many religious accommodations relate to appearance or dress, as with the hijab example. In those cases, it will be hard for an employer to defend its termination of you on the basis that it could not provide a reasonable accommodation related to dress.

You are entitled to sue your employer for wrongful termination if you believe that you were fired because of religious discrimination, religious harassment, or the employer’s failure to provide reasonable accommodation. It may be extremely upsetting to lose your job based on your religious beliefs. Emotional distress may manifest as depression, anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, and other physical symptoms. Some damages that may be available include past, present, and future wage loss, emotional distress damages, and punitive damages.

You are expected to mitigate your damages. For example, after you lose your job, you are expected to look for another job. However, if you cannot find a new job, you are entitled to wage loss compensation. If you find a job, but it pays less than your old job, you are entitled to the difference.

Seek Guidance From a Wrongful Termination Attorney in Los Angeles

A wrongful termination based on religion may be a basis to recover damages from a former employer in Los Angeles. The knowledgeable attorneys at The Nourmand Law Firm may be able to represent you in a lawsuit for compensation. We strive to provide vigorous legal representation to employees who have been terminated due to their religious beliefs in Montebello, Downey, Alhambra, Vernon, City of Commerce, Ventura, Valencia, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Van Nuys, Beverly Hills, Palm Springs, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino, as well as other areas of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura and Orange counties. Contact us online or at 800-700-WAGE (9243) for a free appointment with a religious discrimination lawyer.