NY Federal Court: No “ministerial exception” defense for Seventh Day Adventist school that fired pregnant teacher for fornication
The Religion Clause Blog reports on this ruling: Redhead v. Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, No. 03-CV-6187 (ED NY, June 27, 2008). An unmarried teacher at a Seventh Day Adventist school was terminated purportedly for fornication after she became pregnant. She filed a Title VII suit claiming pregnancy discrimination and arguing that the fornication grounds for dismissal were pretextual.
The Religion Clause Blog summarizes and quotes the holding as follows:
The court rejected defendant’s “ministerial exception” defense, holding that “while certain statements in Cote can be read to foreclose a ministerial employee from ever being able to challenge his employer’s stated religious motive for a discharge…, nothing in that decision … supports extending a similarly absolute prohibition to secular employees such as plaintiff.”