$2.5 Million Awarded to Man Fired for Not Working on Sabbath

July 18, 2001

Source: The Denver Post

On July 18, 2001, The Denver Post reported that "a Denver federal jury...awarded $2.25 million to a former Pueblo air traffic controller who was fired for refusing to work on the Sabbath. The jury concluded that employers may not force religious worshipers to work on the Sabbath if it is their 'sincerely held religious belief.'...Reed, who said he believes 'in the word of God' rather than a formal religion, said his belief in resting on the Sabbath comes from the book of Genesis."