This may be one of the most egregious cases of discrimination I’ve ever seen. And if it’s proven to the be true, the woman who filed suit could well collect a considerable sum of money when all is said and done.
Some background: Courtney Canfield of Topeka claims that in 2013, shortly before she was fired, her supervisor at the Kansas Secretary of State’s office, Eric Rucker, told her she was being terminated because:
“She just doesn’t go to a church.”
WTF?! She isn’t attending church, and that is their business how exactly?
According to an atheist blogger, Hemant Mehta, here’s how this whole incident began:
“The problems began in February of 2013, when Canfield was invited to a church service by a staffer working for Rucker. That happened multiple times but she never went. Despite being a Methodist, she wasn’t particularly religious.”
Then, in November of 2013, Rucker allegedly went to visit Canfield’s grandmother, Margie Canfield, an official in the state Republican Party. At that meeting, Rucker informed Margie Canfield that her granddaughter had to be fired because of her failure to attend worship services.
The lawsuit also states:
“On November 18, 2013, Plaintiff was informed by Mr. Rucker that her employment was terminated and that she should contact Human Resources to assist her in filing for unemployment insurance benefits.”
Ms. Canfield is suing for $75,000 in damages to cover:
“Lost past and future wages and benefits, cost of living increases, mental and emotional distress and anguish, embarrassment, inconvenience and humiliation.”
Which, in my mind, is an incredibly low sum. But should Canfield win this case, she could always go back and sue the state of Kansas, along with Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Though I’m a Christian, I fail to see how it’s any of my business where another person does or does not attend church. But what do I know? I’m just another of those crazy, tolerant liberals.
