The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas has reached a settlement in a case involving alleged religious discrimination. The suit predates the propertys sale to Apollo Global Management.
The complaint, which was submitted by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleged that The Venetian had refused to accommodate the serious religious beliefs of a group of employees that included people of several faiths.
To make matters worse, the casino hotel allegedly struck back against employees who opposed its discrimination. This resulted in alleged disciplinary action, denial of promotion, and, in some cases, layoffs.
As mentioned, the lawsuit was filed prior to Apollos $2.25 billion acquisition of The Venetian in 2022.
After a legal battle that continued for several years, The Venetian has agreed to pay $850K to settle the matter. In addition to that, the property promised to provide better training to all of its employees, managers and supervisors, teaching them about the religious accommodation obligations they must follow.
Under the terms of the settlement, The Venetian will also hire an independent auditor to assess and potentially revise its policies and complaint procedures. The auditor will monitor The Venetians practices for three years.
The EEOC commented on the matter, emphasizing that companies should keep in mind that the law protects the rights of workers of all faiths. The organizations acting chair, Andrea Lucas, elaborated: As this case shows, reasonable accommodation might look like, among other things, allowing certain days off for Sabbatarians or Buddhists and allowing beards for Orthodox Christians. It also means not punishing anyone who speaks out in favor of these rights.
