Feds: Fingerprint requirement was religious discrimination

A new lawsuit says an employer illegally discriminated against an employee based on his religion when it refused to accommodate his request not to be fingerprinted. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the suit on behalf of an employee of AscensionPoint Recovery Services, LLC. That is an estate and probate debt recovery company that manages debt recovery for creditors.

The company requested that its employees be fingerprinted due to a background check requirement of one of its clients. A Christian employee told the employer that having his fingerprints taken was contrary to his religious practices.

The employer responded by terminating his employment, the suit says.

What did they do wrong?

The EEOC faults the employer for declining to ask the client whether an exemption to the fingerprinting requirement was available. It also says alternatives to fingerprinting are available.

The suit alleges violation of Title VII. That law bans discrimination based on religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of employees and applicants.

The EEOC says it resorted to litigation after first attempting to resolve the matter using its conciliation process.

The suit was filed in a federal district court in Minnesota.