A Hazlehurst chain grocery store has settled a claim filed against it by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a former employee of the store.

On Tuesday, the EEOC issued a press release stating that Reynolds IGA Foodliner, a Piggly Wiggly franchisee, had agreed to pay $65,000 to settle the federal lawsuit that was filed in June of this year.

The EEOC contends that Reynolds violated a deli clerk’s rights by denying her request to have Sundays off because of her religious belief as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and her conviction to observe the Sabbath. The employee’s supervisor at that time said if the store gave the worker Sunday off, it would set a precedence for all other employees. The employee continued to make her requests despite the denial. She was terminated from her job for nonspecific or disclosed reasons in January 2025.

Marcus G. Keegan, Regional Attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District said that employers cannot deny religious accommodation requests simply for fear of upsetting other employees, and such conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs of practices unless doing so would cause an undue hardship.

In addition to the $65,000 monetary relief, under the settlement Reynolds IGA will update, clarify, and disseminate its religious procedures, provide specialized training to managers, supervisors, and human resources personnel, and post a notice in the workplace informing employees of the settlement and their right to be free from workplace discrimination. Additionally, Reynolds IGA will provide periodic reports regarding future requests for religious accommodations and religious discrimination, as well as how the company managed those requests and reports, to the EEOC.

The EEOC filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Brunswick Division.