Posted on 04/05/2012 8:10:09 PM PDT by sreastman
Employees Fired for Being “Too Religious” Receive Settlement Payment
Faith Issues/Liberty Counsel
Hallmark Management Company has settled with Daniel and Sharon Dixon, after firing and evicting them from a property management position for having a piece of artwork hanging in their office that contained a Scripture reference. Liberty Counsel successfully represented the Dixons in the case of Dixon v. Hallmark Companies and will be awarded $76,250.
Daniel and Sharon Dixon were the employees and tenants of a government-subsidized facility, Thornwood Terrace Apartments, in Lake City, Florida. In 2007, a regional manager for Hallmark asked Sharon if the words on the artwork referred to Scripture. When she said they did, the manager demanded she take it down and then fired the Dixons. The manager told them they were “too religious.” The Dixons were given 72 hours to vacate their apartment home. The Dixons filed a federal lawsuit, charging Hallmark with religious discrimination.
The first and foremost right protected in our Constitution is that of religious expression and liberty. It is great that the Hallmark Management Company recognized this and is compensating the Dixons for violating their rights. It is completely unacceptable for a company, especially one that is subsidized by the federal government, to discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs. When employers mistakenly think they can discriminate against religious expression, it can prove to be a costly mistake.
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, commented: “I am pleased that Daniel and Sharon Dixon can move forward, with this religious discrimination action behind them. It is wrong to fire or evict someone because they are Christians.”
Hallmark Management Company has no relation to the greeting card company.
© 2012 Liberty Counsel
Well, sportsfans, looks like Team Antichrist has just gotten a 5 minute penalty. They sure look determined, though!
Chalk on up for the good guys.
Love that —”Team AntiChrist”. I’m going to use it. ;^)
I’m dying to know the scriptural reference just so I can jerk the chain of a libtard.
I contend it was a legitimate firing. If your employer does not want religious displays in THEIR office environment, they can preclude and they can fire those who do not comply.
Either there is more to this story, or Hallmark is stupid...completely ignorant of the law.
“It is great that the Hallmark Management Company recognized this and is compensating the Dixons for violating their rights.”
Recognized this? WTF? They paid because they were sued and LOST.
“I contend it was a legitimate firing.”
Not when they receive funding from the federal government - as the story says.
Yeah, the article isn’t clear... I think the lawsuit was “successful” because Hallmark MC “settled,” but did not “lose.”
Even if it weren’t government-subsidized, there is still wrongful firing. *IF* ... and it is not clear if this is the case ... the employees reasonably responded to a request to remove the scripture verse, or if the scripture verse were not displayed, the firing may still have been illegal.
But I think I do agree with Mariner’s point: If Hallmark doesn’t want their business associated with Christianity, they do have the right to present their business to the public as they see fit.
There's no such thing as a wrongful firing, unless it violates the provisions of an employment contract.
The power of boycott is a very effective tool for sending messages to companies which are overtly hostile to religion.
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