DURHAM, N.C. — N.C. Detective Agency, a Durham-based security company, will pay $65,231 in compensatory damages and back pay, and take other corrective actions to voluntarily resolve a religious discrimination investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC’s investigation found reasonable cause to believe that an employee requested to be excused from work due to a Muslim religious holiday, but the request was denied. The company was aware of the employee’s need for a religious accommodation but did not engage in the legally required interactive process, and instead terminated her in June 2025 when she did not report for duty.

“Religious freedom is a fundamental American right,” said Patricia Carrasco, deputy director for the EEOC’s Charlotte District. “No American should have to choose between practicing their faith and keeping their job. Federal law protects employees’ right to observe their religion, including participating in religious activities, and employers must provide reasonable accommodations unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. The EEOC will vigorously enforce these protections and defend Americans’ right to live and work according to their faith.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on religion and requires employers to provide religious accommodations unless otherwise justified by undue hardship.

Without admitting liability, N.C. Detective Agency entered into a conciliation agreement with the employee and EEOC. In addition to paying the employee $65,231, the company is also required to establish written policies prohibiting religious discrimination, procedures for addressing religious accommodation requests in the future and train all employees, including supervisors, on equal employment opportunity rights and responsibilities, with a focus on Title VII and its requirements. The agreement also requires the company to post a notice in the workplace concerning equal employment opportunity rights.

For more information on religious discrimination in the workplace, visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination or Religious Discrimination | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The EEOC’s Raleigh Area Office has jurisdiction over the State of North Carolina counties of Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pender, Person, Pitt, Roberson, Sampson, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne and Wilson.

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.