WASHINGTON — Computer giant Apple Inc. will pay $150,000 and update its religious observance policy, among other reforms, to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, Apple failed to accommodate a Reston, Virginia employee’s need to be off from Friday sundown through sundown on Saturday in observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Apple rejected the employee’s request because it conflicted with a new Apple scheduling policy regarding weekend work. The EEOC’s suit also charged that the same store manager who denied the employee’s religious accommodation request later fired him in January 2024 because of his religion and in retaliation for his complaints about the manager’s disparaging religious comments and denial of religious accommodation.

“Accommodating an employee’s religious beliefs is not optional—it is an obligation mandated by federal law in the absence of an undue hardship,” said EEOC Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “We appreciate Apple’s willingness to work cooperatively with the EEOC to resolve this matter and take affirmative steps to ensure compliance with federal law.”

Conduct as alleged in the EEOC’s complaint violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to accommodate employees sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, absent an undue hardship, and prohibits discrimination based on religion. Title VII also prohibits retaliation against an employee for complaining about or opposing discrimination. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Apple, Inc., Case No. 1:25-cv-01637) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after first attempting to resolve the matter through its administrative conciliation process.

Mindy Weinstein, director of the EEOC’s Washington Field Office, added, “No employee should be forced to choose between their faith and their livelihood. The EEOC will continue to enforce federal laws protecting employees’ rights to religious accommodation.”

Under the two-year consent decree settling the suit, Apple will pay $80,000 in back pay and $70,000 in compensatory damages to the former employee, as well as implement an updated religious observance policy, which requires decision makers to provide employees with a written explanation for a denial of a religious accommodation.

Additionally, the company will provide training to relevant store management and human resources personnel on Title VII’s requirement to provide religious accommodation and prohibition on retaliation. Apple must also submit periodic reports to the EEOC regarding denials of religious accommodation requests and complaints of religious discrimination.

For more information on religious discrimination and retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination and https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC’s Washington Field Office is one of four offices in the Philadelphia District Office, which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.