The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued Apple, alleging that a retail store manager in Virginia harassed a Jewish employee with antisemitic remarks. The complaint mentions that the company denied his requests for religious accommodation, and ultimately fired him.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Alexandria, accuses the tech giant of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by engaging in religious discrimination and retaliation. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory damages, and punitive damages for the former employee, Tyler Steele.
According to the complaint, Steele — who joined Apple’s Reston, Virginia, store in 2007 as a technical support “Apple Genius” and converted to Judaism in 2023 — asked to avoid working on the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. The EEOC claims that his new manager denied those requests, complained about Steele’s body odour, forced him to work on Sabbaths, and warned him against discussing the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel with coworkers.
Steele lodged two complaints with Apple about the alleged conduct but saw no change, the lawsuit says. He was fired in January 2024, just days after refusing to work a Friday shift.
The case reflects the EEOC’s growing scrutiny of religious discrimination under Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, who has emphasised protections for faith-based rights. Lucas has previously argued that religious concerns have often been overlooked in workplace policies.
