Employees Fired for Being “Too Religious” Receive Settlement Payment
Hallmark Management Company has settled with Daniel and Sharon Dixon, after firing and evicting them from a property management position for having a piece of artwork hanging in their office that contained a Scripture reference. Liberty Counsel successfully represented the Dixons in the case of Dixon v. Hallmark Companies and will be awarded $76,250.
Daniel and Sharon Dixon were the employees and tenants of a government-subsidized facility, Thornwood Terrace Apartments, in Lake City, Florida. In 2007, a regional manager for Hallmark asked Sharon if the words on the artwork referred to Scripture. When she said they did, the manager demanded she take it down and then fired the Dixons. The manager told them they were “too religious.” The Dixons were given 72 hours to vacate their apartment home. The Dixons filed a federal lawsuit, charging Hallmark with religious discrimination.
The first and foremost right protected in our Constitution is that of religious expression and liberty. It is great that the Hallmark Management Company recognized this and is compensating the Dixons for violating their rights. It is completely unacceptable for a company, especially one that is subsidized by the federal government, to discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs. When employers mistakenly think they can discriminate against religious expression, it can prove to be a costly mistake.
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, commented: “I am pleased that Daniel and Sharon Dixon can move forward, with this religious discrimination action behind them. It is wrong to fire or evict someone because they are Christians.”
Hallmark Management Company has no relation to the greeting card company.
