Apple Sued Over Religious Discrimination Case

Apple is facing a new lawsuit in the U.S. after being accused of religious discrimination against one of its former employees.

The case was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws. The lawsuit claims that a manager at Apple’s Reston, Virginia store treated a Jewish employee unfairly and eventually fired him.

According to the complaint, the employee, Tyler Steele, had worked at Apple since 2007 as a technical expert known as an “Apple Genius.” In 2023, Steele converted to Judaism and asked not to work on Fridays and Saturdays, which are part of the Jewish Sabbath. However, his new manager denied these requests and forced him to work on those days.

The lawsuit also alleges that the manager made antisemitic comments, said Steele smelled like body odor, and told him not to discuss the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel with his coworkers.

Steele complained twice to Apple about the treatment, but the behavior did not change. In January 2024, just a few days after he refused to work on a Friday, Steele was fired.

The EEOC says this violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from discrimination based on religion and other traits. The agency is now seeking back pay, damages, and punitive penalties against Apple for what it calls “malicious and reckless conduct.”

Apple has not yet commented on the lawsuit.

The EEOC regularly sues companies for discrimination, including cases involving race, sex, disability, and religion. Under its current acting chair, Andrea Lucas, the commission has placed more focus on protecting religious rights at work.