Prayer At the Center Of the National Day Of Prayer, UT Arlington Lawsuits

September 4, 2010

Author: Joshunda Sanders

Source: The Statesman

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/prayer-at-the-center-of-the-national-day-898196.html

In March 2006, Evelyne Shatkin and Linda Shifflett met at the cubicle of one of their co-workers after work to pray for her and anoint her workspace with olive oil, according to court documents. The two administrative assistants at the University of Texas at Arlington prayed and rubbed olive oil on the metal doorway to the absent co-worker's cubicle. Shatkin prayed "for (Evelyn) Knight to have peace ... deep joy," and then commanded that demons leave Knight in the name of Jesus.

A co-worker later reported the women to their superiors and they were fired for "conduct unbecoming a UT-Arlington staff member." They sued, claiming in the lawsuit that the school discriminated against them "for exercising their religious beliefs." In July, a judge denied a motion for summary judgment that would have dismissed the case without a trial. A date has not been set for the cubicle lawsuit; the attorney general's office, which is defending UT-Arlington, declined to comment on the case, citing pending litigation.