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Jehovah's Witness Loses Unemployment Comp Bid Over Beliefs About Birthday Celebrations

By Howard M. Friedman

In Calhoun Jewelers, LLC v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, (PA Commnwlth. Ct., April 20, 2010), a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court held that a Jehovah's Witness employee failed to show that she had a compelling reason based on sincerely held religious belief to leave her job. Without such a showing, her voluntary decision to quit her job as a salesperson in a jewelry store disqualifies her from receiving unemployment compensation benefits. The claimant's religious beliefs prohibit her from celebrating birthdays. She refused to write out personalized messages on birthday cards her employer was sending out to customers. The court concluded that claimant failed to show how the message she was instructed to write conflicted with her beliefs, particularly since she sold customers jewelry for birthday presents.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on April 22, 2010 (boomark / email).