EEOC Sues Dollar General for Religious Discrimination

MOBILE, Ala. - Dolgencorp LLC, the operator of Dollar General stores, violated federal law when it demoted a Jewish assistant store manager because of his Sabbath observance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the suit, the employee at the company's Sylvester, Georgia location successfully worked for months on a schedule which accommodated his Sabbath observance; but in early 2024, a newly assigned store manager demoted the worker and told him that she needed an assistant manager who could work Saturdays.

"Federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against workers because of their religious observance," said Bradley Anderson, director of the EEOC's Birmingham District Office. "When employers penalize employees because of their faith, the EEOC will work to remedy that illegal conduct."

This alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which guarantees equal employment opportunity regardless of a worker's religion and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees' religious practices. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Dolgencorp LLC, Case No. 1:26-cv-00041-LAG) in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

EEOC Birmingham District Regional Attorney Marsha Rucker said, "Discriminating against Jewish workers because of their religion violates the laws that the EEOC enforces. Freedom of religion is a fundamental American value and the EEOC will vigorously enforce Title VII's protections."

For more information on religious discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination .

The EEOC's Birmingham District Office has jurisdiction over Alabama, Mississippi (except for 17 northern counties) and the Florida Panhandle.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .