An Indianapolis woman lost an initial court battle Tuesday against a workplace policy that barred her from telling her customers to “have a blessed day.”
Liz Anderson had filed a religious-discrimination lawsuit against her employer, Chicago-based USF Logistics, claiming that her use of the phrase is a religious practice protected by the Civil Rights Act.
Anderson was using the phrase at the end of her e-mails until she was ordered to stop when a customer objected in June 1999.
U.S. District Judge John Tinder denied Anderson’s request for a preliminary injunction against the policy, ruling that USF has reasonably accommodated Anderson by allowing her to use the phrase with co-workers and supervisors–even though the company has a written policy banning such activity. Anderson’s lawsuit will be allowed to proceed.
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jwthompson(AT)tribune.com
