A lawsuit has been filed against Kay Jewelers after a Christian employee was fired for talking about her faith with a co-worker.
Commentator Todd Starnes explained the situation had the markings of a “setup.”
“The conversation happened in a back work area at a Kay Jewelers in Fairlawn, Ohio. The coworker continuously pressed (Mika) Cohen for her personal opinions about Pride Month. Finally, she explained that she is a Christian and shared her sincerely held beliefs on God’s definition of marriage and sexuality,” he explained. “A few weeks later Kay Jewelers launched a HR investigation into the conversation alleging her remarks were inappropriate.”
Shortly later, she was fired.
“It certainly appears as though Cohen is the victim of a setup by a pro-LGBT staffer. To make matters even worse, it appears as though Kay Jewelers is anti-Christian. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but Kay Jewelers is certainly no friend to Christians,” he said.
It is the American Center for Law and Justice that took on the case.
It said it is defending “an employee’s right to express her religious beliefs,” this time in Ohio.
Cohen was dismissed by Kay from her position as assistant manager in Fairlawn, Ohio, for sharing her Christian beliefs with a co-worker after repeatedly being asked to do so, the legal team said.
The law firm explained how the situation developed:
While working at Kay Jewelers in June 2023, Ms. Cohen’s co-worker asked for her thoughts and opinions on a religious topic. Importantly, while Ms. Cohen’s co-worker prodded Ms. Cohen’s position on the topic out of the earshot of customers or other employees, Ms. Cohen politely attempted to avoid speaking on the subject completely by saying everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
Nonetheless, the co-worker gave her opinion on God’s creation of humanity and kept prodding Ms. Cohen to share her religious beliefs. After being pressured repeatedly to share her beliefs, Ms. Cohen finally shared her beliefs on the Bible’s teachings.
The ACLJ confirmed there was “no quarrel or hostility,” and the conversation ended shortly.
Then Cohen was informed by Kay that an investigator was looking into her “inappropriate discussions of religion at work.:
Then came her firing.
“No further explanation was given and no termination letter was provided – Ms. Cohen was simply told to pack up her things and leave,” the ACLJ said. “This uncalled-for and unjust termination left Ms. Cohen and her family without insurance to cover medical necessities and much of the income upon which they relied.”
Kay’s parent company does, in fact, promote the leftist beliefs about “diversity, equity, and inclusivity” on its website.
“Clearly, this ‘commitment’ only applies to non-Christian beliefs that do not align with the Bible’s teachings. Kay Jewelers’ conduct in this case demonstrates no valid basis to fire Ms. Cohen, and its lack of transparency or accountability for violating Ms. Cohen’s rights constitutes a blatant disregard for religious freedom and a demonstrative act of religious intolerance,” the charges by ACLJ include.
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