A Sanford automotive parts manufacturer will pay $36,432 to settle a religious discrimination case filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In its suit, theEEOC accused the company, GKN Driveline North America, with refusing to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of an employee.
According to the suit filed in U.S. District Court, Dwayne Butler's employer gave employees random drug tests in which employees were required to give a saliva sample. Around July 19, 2007, the company requested such a sample from Butler. However, as a practicing member of the Santeria religion, Butler's religious beliefs prohibited him from providing saliva to anyone for anything other than a religious purpose. Butler informed his company of his beliefs and offered to submit to alternative forms of testing. His employer fired him.
