Woman refused to wear pants, wins religious bias case

Another example of just how broadly the feds are interpreting employers’ religious accommodation responsibilities: A Kentucky company will pay compensatory damages to a woman who was turned down for a job after she said wearing trousers would violate her Christian beliefs.

Here are the details from the EEOC: Megan Woodard, a University of Kentucky student, is a member of a fundamentalist Baptist church whose members believe that women should not dress like men — including refraining from wearing pants.

Woodard applied for a temporary job at the 2010 World Equestrian Games  in Lexington, but was denied a position due to her request for the religious accommodation not to wear pants.

She filed a complaint with the EEOC, which eventually filed a religious bias suit against the employer, The Patty Tipton Co.

Eventually, the parties negotiated a consent decree which provides the applicant with back pay and compensatory damages of $5.000.

The decree also requires the company to provide anti-discrimination training, report discrimination claims, and officially prohibit any discrimination or retaliation under Title VII.