A McDonald’s franchisee will pay $69,000 in settling a lawsuit over a Jewish man’s beard
Telling an observant Jewish man applying for a job that he had to shave his beard will cost an owner of 11 Orlando-area McDonald’s franchise stores $69,555 as part of settling a religious discrimination lawsuit.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit against Chalfont & Associates in 2019 on behalf of Morteza Javadi. Chalfont will pay Javadi $69,555 and promises to not exclude applicants because of religious beliefs or practices, including not shaving beards.
According to the EEOC lawsuit, Javadi applied online for a maintenance job in 2016 at the 900 State Rd. store in Longwood. During the in-person interview, Javadi was told he would have to shave his beard to comply with Chalfont’s “completely clean shaven” policy for employees.
Javadi is a Hasidic Jewish man. Orthodox observers typically comply with Leviticus 19:27: “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.”
The manager, the lawsuit said, rejected Javadi’s offer to wear a beard net, citing Chalfont policy and Florida law. Florida law didn’t address beards or beard nets for maintenance workers.
The consent decree states Chalfont must add to its “clean shave” policy: “Federal and state anti-discrimination laws may require (Chalfont) to provide a reasonable accommodation to any applicable grooming and appearance standard to accommodate an applicant’s or employee’s gender identity, religious beliefs. or physical condition. Please consult your manager or human resources representative should you believe you require any such accommodation.”
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