Employee Fired After Requesting Sabbath Leave, Company Fined US$150,000
Apple has agreed to pay compensation of US$150,000, or approximately Rp2.6 billion, to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee. The settlement was reached without any admission of wrongdoing by the company.
According to AppleInsider on Thursday (13/8/2026), the lawsuit began when an employee in the position of Apple Genius was dismissed on the grounds of failing to meet the company’s grooming standards. However, the employee claimed the dismissal occurred after he repeatedly requested permission to observe the Sabbath (Shabbat).
Documents from Law360 cited by 9to5Mac state that Apple will pay compensation of US$150,000 and provide training on preventing religious discrimination to its employees. Nevertheless, the agreement does not include a formal admission of fault by Apple.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the lawsuit in court in September 2025 following the dismissal.
Apple argued that the dismissal was purely because the employee did not meet the company’s grooming standards, while the former employee alleged that the action was triggered by his requests for time off to observe the Sabbath.
The Apple Genius employee is known to have served for 16 years at Apple and had a good performance record. He converted to Judaism in 2023 and began requesting schedule adjustments from sunset on Friday to Saturday evening to observe religious rituals that prohibit working during the Sabbath.
According to the lawsuit filing, the leave requests were repeatedly rejected by management. Shortly after the rejections, complaints about his appearance began to be raised by the company. Ultimately, not long after he again submitted a leave request for a religious holiday, the employee was formally dismissed.
Of the total compensation of US$150,000, US$80,000 is allocated as taxable back pay, while the remaining US$70,000 covers non-material damages plus interest. Apple is required to complete the full compensation payment to the former employee within 30 days.