The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Apple on Sept. 30, alleging that the Reston, Virginia, Apple store fired an employee over his practice of Judaism.
The EEOC’s federal lawsuit accused the tech company of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by not approving a religious accommodation for a Jewish worker, according to a press release.
Tyler Steele, a 16-year employee at Reston Apple, consistently earned positive performance reviews as an “Apple Genius” — an employee who provides technical support and repairs products.
In August 2023, not long after he converted to Judaism, Steele requested Fridays and Saturdays off to observe Shabbat. His manager denied the request, stating that Apple’s scheduling policy now prohibited employees from having both Friday and Saturday off, leading to Steele working during Shabbat against his religious beliefs.
“Employees should not have to violate their religious beliefs to keep their jobs or live in fear of retribution because they requested an accommodation,” Debra Lawrence, EEOC’s Philadelphia regional attorney, said.
The EEOC alleged that around the same time, after Steele had requested a religious accommodation, Apple disciplined him for “violating its grooming policies.” After he reminded his supervisor of an upcoming Jewish holiday and refused their request to work on a Friday, the company terminated him in January 2024, again claiming that he had violated the grooming policy.
Steele voiced his concerns to Apple about the manager twice, but the manager’s conduct remained the same, the lawsuit stated. The lawsuit also claimed that the store manager “warned him not to discuss” the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel with his co-workers.
The EEOC is seeking back pay and other damages for Steele, including punitive damages for “malicious and reckless intent.”
Apple did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
