Ky. grocery store sued for religious discrimination

WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. (WTVQ) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a lawsuit Wednesday that the Williamsburg Hometown IGA in Whitley County violated federal discrimination law by refusing to hire a man because of his hairstyle, which was part of his religious beliefs.

The EEOC’s lawsuit against Houchens Food Group, doing business as Hometown IGA, claims that the store in Williamsburg wouldn’t hire Matthew Barnett because of his Rastafarian dreadlocks hairstyle.

Barnett had applied for the Hometown IGA assistant manager position, but when interviewed by management staff, he was told he needed to cut his dreadlocks to work at the grocery store, EEOC says. Barnett said he wears his dreadlocks for his religious beliefs and wouldn’t cut them. The lawsuit says the interview”immediately” ended and Hometown IGA “refused” to hire him.

The EEOC alleges the store violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to attempt to make “reasonable accommodation to sincere religious beliefs and practices.” The EEOC added they filed a lawsuit after “exhausting its conciliation efforts to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement.”