Government Contractor Refused to Provide Religious Accommodations, and Retaliated against Employee After He Filed an EEOC Charge, Federal Agency Charges

Washington, D.C. – Triple Canopy, Inc. (Triple Canopy) a Reston, Virginia-based company that provides protective services to federal agencies, violated federal law by refusing to allow a male employee to have a beard as a religious accommodation, and not scheduling him for work after he complained to the EEOC, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a suit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, despite the employee’s repeated explanations that he did not belong to a formal religious denomination but nonetheless held a Christian belief that men must wear beards, Triple Canopy denied his request for a religious accommodation because the employee was unable to provide additional substantiation of his beliefs or a supporting statement from a certified or documented religious leader. Additionally, Triple Canopy subjected him to intolerable work conditions that resulted in his discharge.

Such conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs absent undue hardship and prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Triple Canopy) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Civil Action No.1:23-cv-1500) after first attempting to reach voluntary pre-litigation settlement...

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