A federal jury awarded $21 million in punitive damages Monday to a devout Christian dishwasher and mother of six who was dismissed by the Conrad Hotel in Miami, Florida, for refusing to work on Sundays.
“I adore God.” “No, I can’t [work on] Sunday because that’s when I respect God,” Haitian immigrant Marie Jean Pierre, 60, told NBC 6 South Florida on Wednesday.
According to the Miami Herald, the jury determined that the Conrad Hotel retaliated against Pierre by firing her for being unable to work on Sundays despite being aware of her affiliation with the Soldiers of Christ Church, which precluded her from working on Sundays.
Pierre worked at the hotel from 2006 to 2016, but it wasn’t until 2015 that her supervisor, kitchen manager George Colon, determined she had no choice but to work on Sundays. Her coworkers swapped shifts with Pierre to facilitate her religious adherence, but Colon insisted on her showing up for her allocated shifts, and Pierre was dismissed on March 31, 2016.
According to the lawsuit, the hotel claimed she was fired for misbehaviour, incompetence, and “unexplained absences.” In May 2017, Pierre filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Conrad, which is operated by HEI Hot200els & Resorts. The Hilton series also includes the Conrad Hotel.
According to Pierre’s lawsuit, “Defendant retaliated against Plaintiff by, among other things, creating a hostile work environment for Plaintiff, reprimanding Plaintiff for her religious views, and firing Plaintiff.” According to Pierre’s lawyer, Marc Brumer, the hotel maintained in court that it was unaware Pierre was a missionary and had no idea why she constantly sought Sundays off.
According to the Miami Herald, a federal jury in Miami ordered Conrad Hotel to pay Pierre $36,000 in lost income, $500,000 in mental agony, and $21 million in punitive damages after hearing the case.
According to Pierre, the hotel scheduled her to work on Sundays in 2009, and she notified them that if they did, she would have to resign. However, in order to encourage her not to leave, the hotel agreed to satisfy her request until 2015 While exemplary damages penalties in federal court are limited, Brumer told NBC that he expects Pierre to earn at least $500,000.
“I requested for $50 million, knowing I was limited to $300,000,” Brumer explained to NBC News. “I didn’t do it for the money.” I did everything to make things right.”
Hilton’s representative told NBC that the was “extremely unhappy by the jury’s finding, and do not feel that it is justified by the facts of this case or the law.”
“Multiple accommodations were made to meet Ms Pierre’s personal and religious obligations over her ten years with the hotel,” she claimed. “We want to appeal and demonstrate that the Conrad Miami has been and continues to be a friendly environment for all visitors and workers.”
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