Judah Smith and his West Coast megachurch, Churchome, are facing a class-action lawsuit for requiring staff to tithe 10% of their wages—a policy that violates two Washington state laws, the suit claims.
The suit was filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court in the state of Washington on behalf of Rachel Kellogg, a post-production producer at Churchome. Also included in the suit are any church employees who contributed part of their wages to Churchome during the relevant time period, unless they opt out, said Eric Nusser, attorney for the plaintiffs.
Named as defendants in the suit are Churchome; its pastors, Judah and Chelsea Smith; and its CEO David Kroll.
According to the suit, Churchome threatened Kellogg with termination if she didn’t give 10% of her wages back to the church, despite Kellogg’s claim of financial hardship. The alleged actions are consistent with Churchome’s company-wide policy of compulsory tithing, which is outlined in the church’s employee handbook, attached to the filing.
The policy violates Washington’s Wage Rebate Act, which prohibits employers from collecting a “rebate of any part of wages” from an employee, the suit claims. The suit also alleges that the policy violates Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, banning unfair “acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce.”
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