Dive Brief:
- Apple will pay $150,000 to settle allegations made by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that the company failed to accommodate a Jewish worker’s faith and fired him for his religion and in retaliation for complaining of religious discrimination (EEOC v. Apple, Inc.), according to a consent decree filed Friday.
- A 16-year veteran of the company’s Reston, Virginia, store allegedly was denied a request to have Fridays and Saturdays off to observe the Sabbath after converting to Judaism. The manager, who was newly supervising the plaintiff, eventually terminated him for violating the company’s grooming policies, EEOC said.
- Apple “denied and continues to deny the Commission’s allegations,” according to the joint motion for a consent decree.
Dive Insight:
EEOC filed the lawsuit against Apple in September 2025, alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from failing to accommodate religious practices, from discriminating against employees based on religion and from retaliating against an employee for complaining about or opposing discrimination.
The two-year consent decree applies to retail markets in which the manager who allegedly denied the worker’s religious accommodation request works.
Under the consent decree, Apple is enjoined from discriminating against any employee or applicant on the basis of religion under Title VII; from discriminating or retaliating against any employee because of the worker’s opposition to an employment practice or because the worker filed a charge of discrimination or retaliation or assisted with an investigation; and from retaliating against a worker who requested a reasonable accommodation for religious practices.
Apple also will update its religious observance policy and provide at least 1.5 hours of training on Title VII compliance to its HR teams, store management and other employees responsible for handling religious accommodation requests, according to the decree.
EEOC and Apple did not respond to requests for comment before press time, but Apple denied the allegations in the court filings.
“This Decree does not constitute an adjudication on the merits of the Commission’s case, and it shall not be construed as a waiver by the Commission of any contentions of discrimination. Nor shall this Decree be construed as an admission by Defendant with respect to any claim by the Commission or any defenses Defendant may seek to assert in this or any other action,” per the consent decree.