Whitehall Reaches Settlement in Religious Discrimination Suit

A discrimination lawsuit filed last year against Whitehall Jewelers has been settled. The suit was filed by a Muslim woman from California, who alleged that, after she was laid off, she was turned down for re-employment because she had begun wearing a traditional Muslim headscarf.

Details of the settlement were not released.

According to the suit, filled at the Solano, CA County Court, Shereen Attia was an often-praised salesperson who worked part-time at a Whitehall Jewellers store in Solano. She was laid off when the store closed in April 2006, but was later asked by her former manager, Rhoda Downey, to apply for work at a different branch a few months later.

In the interim, Attia's religious beliefs prompted her to begin covering her hair with the traditional headscarf. Attia, wearing the headscarf, visited the new store to apply. When she later called the store, Downey allegedly told Attia that she was shocked to see her with the “head thing,” adding that the district manager had said “Oh no, not another one,” directing Downey to not hire Attia.

The lawsuit says the defendants “Acted with malice and oppression and with willful and conscious disregard of Attia’s rights,” and asked the court to award her damages.

Whitehall President Michael Don said in a statement, “The company is a strong advocate of diversity in the workplace and will continue its strong practices and policies against all forms of discrimination," according to the Vallejo Times Herald.