Supreme Court To Hear Religious Discrimination Case Based On Look Policy

The Supreme Court has just announced that it will hear the religious discrimination filed by a Muslim woman against clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. The Title VII employment discrimination matter involves the case of a Muslim teenager who was rejected from a job she applied to as floor staff because she didn’t meet their “Look Policy.” The teen wore a hijab, which was contrary to the policy banning wearing black clothes and “caps.”

All people who apply for jobs at Abercrombie and Fitch as floor employees are considered models and are graded on a 3-point scale of “appearance & sense of style.” The teen originally scored a 2, but when it was learned that she wore a black hijab, her score was decreased to a 1, which disqualified her completely from being able to obtain a job at the store.

The teen sued for employment discrimination – specifically religious discrimination – pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex or national origin.”

If you have questions about any form of employment discrimination or believe that you have been discriminated against, your first step should be consulting with an experienced Atlanta discrimination lawyer. A knowledgeable Atlanta employee’s rights attorney can determine your rights and help you seek the redress you deserve.

In this instance, the question focuses specifically on whether the failure to hire the young woman because she wore a hijab constitutes religious discrimination. Even though the young woman hadn’t explicitly told Abercrombie that she wore a hijab for religious reasons, employees assumed this was why she wore one it, and this formed the basis for her low score regarding her appearance.

As Georgia employee’s rights attorneys, we will be following this case closely. For more information or if you believe that you have been a victim of religious discrimination, please contact one of our dedicated Atlanta anti-discrimination attorneys at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate, confidential case evaluation.