Court Agrees With EEOC in Head Scarf Discrimination Lawsuit

A federal court has agreed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that Abercrombie & Fitch committed religious discrimination against a Tulsa teenager because she wore a hijab, or head scarf, in observance of her religious beliefs.

According to the judgement, Abercrombie & Fitch failed to proved sufficient evidence to dispute the EEOC's claim.

The suit came after a Tulsa teenager was turned down for a job at Abercrombie Kids at Woodland Hills Mall.{} According to the lawsuit, she was turned down after wearing the head scarf during her interview because it violated the company's "look policy."

That policy banned wearing the scarf, claiming it would cause an undue burden on the conduct of its business.

"The EEOC is committed to enforcing the prohibition of all forms of religious discrimination," said P. David Lopez, EEOC General Counsel. "In this case, the Court's ruling makes clear an EEOC employer's 'corporate image' policy does not relieve an employer of the obligation to provide a reasonable religious accommodation."

A jury will decide damages at a later date.