EEOC Sues Blue Bell Creameries for Religious Discrimination and Retaliation

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Blue Bell Creameries, Inc., a Brenham, Texas-based frozen snack manufacturer and distributor with a production facility in Sylacauga, Alabama, unlawfully terminated a Jewish body shop technician soon after he requested a beard‑related religious accommodation, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Blue Bell fired the employee in March 2025, less than a month after he refused to shave his beard due to his religious beliefs. The EEOC said that Blue Bell’s stated reason for firing the longtime employee, a timekeeping violation, was a pretext for religious discrimination and retaliation, and claimed that other workers routinely engaged in the same conduct without repercussion. The lawsuit also said a supervisor baselessly questioned the sincerity of the worker’s religious beliefs on multiple occasions.

“Religious discrimination is illegal under federal law,” said Marsha Rucker, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Birmingham District. “The EEOC will continue to firmly enforce federal protections for religious freedom.”

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination or retaliation based on religion. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Blue Bell Creameries, LLC, Case No. 1:26-cv-01694-GMB) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Acting EEOC Birmingham District Director Linda Sales-Long said, “Employees should never be penalized for seeking accommodation of their religious beliefs and practices. The EEOC remains steadfast in ensuring that workers’ religious beliefs are respected with the full dignity and protection guaranteed by Title VII.”

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

The EEOC’s Birmingham District Office has jurisdiction over Alabama, Mississippi (except 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.