Employer May Inquire About Sincerity of Employee's Religious Belief, Not About Whether Belief Is Religious: Fifth Circuit | Practical Law
In Davis v. Fort Bend County, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment to the employer in a Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) religious discrimination case. The Fifth Circuit held that an employer's inquiry into religious accommodation should be limited to the sincerity of the employer's belief, not the religious nature of the activity. The court affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to the employer on the employee's retaliation claim because the employee could not rebut the employer's legitimate business reason for terminating her employment.