Onionhead Is a Religion Says EEOC

A program a New York discount medical plan provider says it adopted as a tool to bring harmony to its workplace is a “religion,” a federal court ruled, allowing the EEOC’s employment discrimination claims against the employers using the program to proceed (EEOC v. United Health Programs of Am., Inc., 2016 BL 327086, E.D.N.Y., No. 14-CV-3673 (KAM)(JO), 9/30/16).

The decision reaffirms that courts often define religion broadly and that a nontraditional system of beliefs may qualify as a religion under federal anti-discrimination law. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which brought the case against related companies United Health Programs ...