Two Muslim truck drivers have been awarded a whopping $2,40,000 in damages by a U.S. jury in a religious discrimination lawsuit after they were fired for refusing to make beer deliveries.
A jury was convened to determine damages after U.S. District Court Judge James E. Shadid ruled in favour of Mahad Abass Mohamed and Abdkiarim Hassan Bulshale when Star Transport admitted liability earlier this year.
Duo Somali-Americans
The men, both of whom are Somali-American Muslims, were represented by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC won the case on behalf of the Obama administration.
The federal jury in Peoria, Illinois, awarded $2,40,000 to the two drivers who were fired from their jobs as truck drivers at Star Transport when they refused to transport alcohol because it violated their religious beliefs, according to the EEOC.
Trial began on October 19
The trial started on October 19 and the jury returned its verdict the next day after 45 minutes of deliberation.
Mr. Shadid, chief judge of the US District Court for the Central District of Illinois, ruled in favour of EEOC after Star Transport admitted liability in March 2015. The resulting trial was to determine compensatory and punitive damages and back pay.
The jury awarded Mr. Mohamed and Mr. Bulshale $20,000 each in compensatory damages and $1,00,000 each in punitive damages. The Judge awarded each approximately $1,500 in back pay.
EEOC charge
The EEOC said that the incident took place in 2009, when Star Transport fired Mr. Mohamed and Bulshale after they were required to transport alcohol.
EEOC also alleged that Star Transport could have but failed to accommodate the truckers’ religious beliefs.
“EEOC is proud to support the rights of workers to equal treatment in the workplace without having to sacrifice their religious beliefs or practices,” said EEOC General Counsel David Lopez. “This is fundamental to the American principles of religious freedom and tolerance.”
