A grocery store in Hazlehurst has had a federal lawsuit filed against it by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging denial of an employee’s request for Sunday’s off due to religious beliefs. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Brunswick Division, after a prelitigation settlement discussion failed.

In the suit filed Tuesday, the EEOC claims that Reynold’s IGA Foodliner, Inc., operating as Piggy Wiggly in Hazlehurst, is violating federal law under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to reasonably support workers’ religious practices unless doing so would cause an undue hardship on the business.

Marcus G. Keegan, Regional Attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District, said that when an employee requests a religious accommodation, it must be individually considered on a case-by-case basis, and that employers cannot deny religious requests simply because they assume, without evidence, that granting the accommodation would cause an undue hardship.

The unidentified woman initiating the suit says she is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that she observes the Sabbath on Sunday. She requested Sundays off shortly after being hired, but her supervisor is said to have denied her request, claiming that the store would have to provide Sundays off to all employees who then requested it.

Although no specifics were provided, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says the worker was terminated as of January 2025.