Religious Discrimination

Religious Discrimination

For many years, the courts did not treat discrimination on account of religion as seriously as they treated discrimination on account of race or sex.  Then, in 2008, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued its decision in the case of Cutler v. Dorn, holding that discrimination on account of religion must be treated on equal footing as all other forms of discrimination. While the New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in Cutler will make it less difficult to prevail in a religious discrimination case, there are always obstacles to success in these cases. 

Religious discrimination cases often arise out of an employer’s denial of a request by a religiously observant employee for some type of accommodation of his religious practices.   For example, an employee may request not to work on the Sabbath or to be allowed to wear a particular type of clothing or hairstyle.   In these cases, a court will balance the employee’s right to follow his religious practice with the employer’s right to manage its workplace. 

Attorneys Richard Schall and Patricia Barasch have nearly 40 years combined experience representing employees in complex employment discrimination cases. We enjoy the challenge of tackling the most complex legal issues, taking on the biggest corporations in New Jersey, along with their law firms, and standing up for the rights of our clients to be free from religious discrimination in the workplace.

If you believe you have been discriminated against in the workplace on the basis of your religion, please contact our firm by completing the on-line Questionnaire accessible on every page of our website.