Ohio Medical Facility Sued for Religious Discrimination

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges in a lawsuit that an Ohio medical facility violated federal law by subjecting a Jewish orthopedic surgeon to unfavorable terms and conditions of employment and firing him because of his religion and race.

The lawsuit says Mercy Health Physicians Youngstown, LLC and Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc. in Youngstown, Ohio discriminated against the surgeon shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.

The EEOC’s suit says the surgeon had a successful practice with Mercy for many years and performed well, including exceeding Mercy’s productivity goals.

However, Mercy subjected the surgeon to antisemitic remarks throughout his employment and ultimately fired him in November 2023, advising him that he was being terminated for a reason other than work performance. During the surgeon’s employment, Mercy also subjected him to unfavorable treatment which interfered with his practice because of his religion and race, the EEOC charged.

“This alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion and race. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Mercy Health Physicians Youngstown, LLC and Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-02500-CEF) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Source: EEOC