Verified Document

Samantha Elauf Case Study Case Study

¶ … Abercrombie & Fitch and an applicant who wore a hijab to a job interview. The case was recently settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. In this case, the plaintiff Samantha Elauf wore a hijab to the job interview, but did not inform the company that she was Muslim. The company, Abercrombie & Fitch, has a "look policy" that prescribes specific appearance standards for its floor staff. The circuit court found that A&F did not need to accommodate the plaintiff because the company was not expressly informed that the plaintiff had need for accommodation on religious grounds. She had not clarified that she was Muslim and would need to wear the headscarf for religious reasons, which would have given her Title VII protections. The Supreme Court reversed that decision, making the point that the applicant's need for accommodation was a motivating factor in the employer's decision not to offer a position to Ms. Elauf. The Title VII protected class is religion in this situation. The term religion in the context of Title VII is defined as including

"all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business."

To fail or refuse to hire an individual cannot be done on the basis of religion,...

Ms. Elauf's hijab would fall under the definition of religious practice, granting her Title VII protections. The allegations were that A&F could have accommodated this religious practice within its code on employee appearances -- the hijab certainly does not preclude one from being fashionable.
The Supreme Court therefore found that the Civil Rights Act was violated. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit against Abercrombie & Fitch on behalf of Ms. Elauf. The case was complex, and the circuit court sided with the company in that Ms. Elauf may have worn a hijab to the interview but did not specify that this was a religious practice and she would need to be accommodated. At issue is the idea that the company could not have discriminated against her on religious grounds by not hiring her, because they were not made aware of her religion in the interview. The headscarf, they argued, does not necessarily have to be religious in nature.

While this is a legal issue, the handling of the case does raise ethical issues. For example, the company could reasonably have guessed that, at the very least, Ms. Elauf was probably a Muslim, or possibly one, and would require religious accommodation. Evidence showed that she was "highly-rated and recommended for hiring" at the Abercrombie Kids store, and was downgraded…

Sources used in this document:
References

Stoneburner, C. (2015). Supreme Court snatches victory away from Abercrombie & Fitch in hijab fight. Employment Discrimination Report. Retrieved October 22, 2015 from http://employmentdiscrimination.foxrothschild.com/2015/06/articles/equal-employment-opportunity-c/breaking-news-supreme-court-snatches-victory-away-from-abercrombie-fitch-in-hijab-fight/

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved October 22, 2015 from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm

Totenburg, N. (2015). Justices: Retailer can't refuse to hire someone because she wears a hijab. NPR. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Equal Opportunity
Words: 3067 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

Civil Rights Act of 1964 enforced the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution by ensuring a legislative act that would prevent discrimination and extend equal protection under the law. The bill in its entirety protects all Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, national background, and gender. It was and still is considered to be a landmark bill, in spite of the fact that the Fourteenth Amendment already technically guarantees equal protection

Title VII, ADEA, and Hiring Practices
Words: 1528 Length: 4 Document Type: A-Level Coursework

" Gelato currently employs 100 people, 85% being 25 -- 35 years old. We currently do not know the "age makeup" of the surrounding community. To ensure that it complies with the demands of the ADEA, Gelato should analyze the community in terms of age ranges, including the age ranges encompassing ages 40 -- 70 years, and should institute recruiting and hiring policies that phase in age ranges compatible with

Employer's Title VII Obligations for
Words: 485 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

However, this is really not a distinct difference to Title IV law in regards to religion. It may be seen as analogous to not creating a hostile workforce environment by, for example, prohibiting all pregnant employees for no justifiable reason, which would discriminate against women, or prohibiting an employer from displaying the Confederate flag in his or her office, which would create a harassing environment for African-Americans, just as requiring

Accommodating Religion Title VII of the 1964
Words: 632 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Accommodating Religion Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act "prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin," a provision which lies at the heart of the August 22, 1995 Wall Street Journal article entitled "Legal Beat: Workers' religious beliefs may get new attention. ("Title VII") It is the prohibition against religious discrimination that the article claims Wal-Mart violated when they forced an employee to quit as

Constructive Discharge Memo: Constructive Discharge Under Title
Words: 1111 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Constructive Discharge Memo: Constructive Discharge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Chief Executive Officer Company Executive and Board of Staff Response to the accusation of Constructive discharge filed against this company I am writing this Memorandum to advise your office on the way forward in relation to the issue of constructive discharge filed against this company. As you know, an employee of this company has claimed that the recent changes in

Civil Right Act 1964 Is
Words: 2155 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Hostile Work Environment: According to the 1993 decision of the United States Supreme Court in "Harris v. Forklift Systems Inc.," hostile environment harassment occurs when "the workplace is permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the victim's employment and create an abusive working environment" (Cross and LeRoy Miller 497). Facts of the Case: In 1986, Teresa Harris, who was

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now