The Venetian Resort Las Vegas will pay $850,000 to settle federal charges that it denied religious accommodations to employees and retaliated against workers who complained about the violations.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement today, saying the Las Vegas Strip hotel and casino violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by refusing to accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs.
The lawsuit covered a diverse group of faiths and alleged that denial of accommodations led to discipline, missed promotion opportunities and employee terminations in some cases. The EEOC filed the discrimination charges before the property’s 2022 sale.
Three-year oversight period begins
Beyond the monetary settlement, the Venetian must implement comprehensive policy changes under a three-year consent decree. The agreement requires religious accommodation training for all employees, managers and supervisors.
The resort must also hire an independent third-party monitor to review and revise its religious accommodation policies and complaint procedures. The monitor will track compliance throughout the 36-month oversight period.
“The law protects the rights of workers in our pluralistic society to live out their various faiths in the workplace,” said EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. “As this case shows, reasonable accommodation might look like, among other things, allowing certain days off for Sabbatarians or Buddhists and allowing beards for Orthodox Christians. It also means not punishing anyone who speaks out in favor of these rights.”
Supreme Court clarification influences case
The settlement comes after the U.S. Supreme Court clarified standards for granting religious accommodations in the workplace. The high court’s decision strengthened employee protections and emphasized employer obligations under federal law.
“We commend the Venetian Resort for their cooperation in the early resolution of this lawsuit and agreeing to implement proactive measures to ensure religious accommodation requests are handled more effectively,” said Anna Park, Regional Attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District. “Employers are reminded of the importance of understanding their obligations under Title VII in accommodating religious beliefs of their employees, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the standard for granting religious accommodations.”
The settlement follows a lengthy voluntary mediation process after initial conciliation efforts failed to resolve the dispute. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada earlier this year.
