Adeyeye v. Heartland Sweeteners, LLC, No. 12-3820 (7th Cir. 2013)
Annotate this CaseAdeyeye, a native of Nigeria, moved to the U.S. in 2008. He requested several weeks of unpaid leave so he could travel to Nigeria to lead his father’s burial rites. He explained that his participation in the funeral ceremonies was “compulsory” and that if he failed to lead the burial rites, he and his family members would suffer at least spiritual death. The employer denied the request, but he traveled to Nigeria for the ceremonies anyway and was fired when he returned to work. Adeyeye filed suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for failure to accommodate his religion. The district court granted summary judgment for the employer, finding that Adeyeye’s two written requests did not present evidence sufficient for a reasonable jury to find that he had provided notice of the religious character of his request. The Seventh Circuit reversed. Whether or not Adeyeye’s letters might have justified holding as a matter of law that they provided sufficient notice of the religious nature of his request, they certainly were sufficient to present a genuine issue of material fact regarding whether the employer had notice of the religious nature of the request.
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