The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is notorious for being pro-business and pro-employer, and its last week’s ruling in Nobach v. Woodland Village Nursing Center, Inc., et al. does little to change that reputation.
In this case, Kelsey Nobach, a nursing home activities aide was discharged by Woodland Village Nursing Center after she refused to pray the Rosary with a resident, which was a regularly scheduled activity when requested. She sued Woodland for violating Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 by unlawfully discharging her because of her religion. The jury found in Nobach’s favor and awarded her $69,584 with $55,200 being for emotional distress and mental anguish, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed.
On September 19, 2009, a certified nurse assistant (“CNA”), a non-supervisory employee with no responsibilities over Nobach, told Nobach that a resident requested that the Rosary be read to her. Nobach told the CNA that she could not read it because it was against her religion.
The resident complained to management, and five days later, the Woodland’s activities director called Nobach into her office and told her she was fired for failing to assist a resident with a prayer. She told Nobach: “I don’t care if it’s your fifth write-up or not. I would have fired you for this instance alone.” Nobach—for the first time—then informed the director that performing the Rosary was against her religion, stating: “Well, I can’t pray the Rosary. It’s against my religion.” The director’s response was: “I don’t care if it is against your religion or not. If you don’t do it, it’s insubordination.” After Nobach was fired, she explained that she was a former Jehovah’s Witness and still adhered to many of their beliefs.
The Court explained that Title VII makes it unlawful for an employer to discharge an individual “because of such individual’s . . . religion.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a)(1). An employee may prove intentional discrimination “through either direct or circumstantial evidence.” Nobach argued that she offered direct evidence of Woodland’s discriminatory animus that motivated her discharge, which was evidenced by Woodland’s acknowledgement that she was fired for not praying the Rosary with the resident, and the Woodland’s director’s statement that she did not care if performing the Rosary was against Nobach’s religion, she still would have been fired because to refuse to perform the Rosary was insubordination.
The Fifth Circuit, however, found that Nobach failed to provide even one piece of evidence that showed that Nobach ever advised anyone involved in her discharge that praying the Rosary was against her religion. Nor did she claim that the CNA told any of Nobach’s supervisors that her refusal was based on her religion. The only time that Nobach actually advised her supervisor that her refusal to perform a job duty was motivated by her religious beliefs, was after she had already been discharged. As the Court said, “[i]n sum, she has offered no evidence that Woodland came to know of her bona-fide religious beliefs until after she was actually discharged.”
TAKEAWAY FOR EMPLOYEES: When requesting a religious accommodation such as a deviation from a job duty that would violate their religious beliefs, employees must convey their request to their supervisors or the management and not just other coworkers.
TAKEAWAY FOR EMPLOYERS: When firing or letting go an employee, saying less is almost always better. It is possible that if the director who discharged Nobach used less inflammatory language instead of telling Nobach that she didn’t care if reading the Rosary was against her religion, Nobach would have been less likely to file a lawsuit. Firing an employee can get emotional, especially if there is a troubled history with the employee, however, it is important to remain cool and collected and not make any statements that the employee can later use as an ammunition to bring an unlawful discharge claim.
Leiza Dolghih is the founder of Dolghih Law Group PLLC. She is board certified in labor and employment law and has 16+ years of experience in commercial and employment litigation, including trade secrets and non-compete disputes. You can contact her directly at leiza@dlg-legal.com or (214) 531-2403.
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