Earlier this year, we told you about Thomas Banks, a product engineer employed by Rapid Global Business Solutions who had been contracted to work for Ford Motor Company.
Things went fine for about three years, but then last summer, Banks read an article on Ford’s intranet about the automaker’s efforts to become more LGBT-friendly. In response, he posted a hate-filled, homophobic comment. Ford told Banks that the post was a violation of its anti-harassment policy and subsequently fired him. RGBS showed him the door, too.
Banks was none too happy. He first filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that he had been a target of religious discrimination. The EEOC declined to pursue the matter.
Now, Banks has decided to sue Ford and his former employer, RGBS:
Banks, a Christian, claims his civil rights were violated because he was fired Aug. 4, 2014, after speaking up in defense of his religious beliefs. He accused Ford of “endorsing and promoting sodomy.”
The suit seeks an unspecified amount for damages for loss of wages, mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation, shame and anxiety.
“As we have not yet seen the complaint, we are not in a position to comment on it,” Ford said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Rapid Global also had not seen the lawsuit.
Me, I have a hunch that the suit is heading nowhere.
For starters, it seems like Ford and RGBS have plenty of authority to fire a man who’s created a hostile workplace environment in direct violation of their well-documented employee policies. Then, too, Banks is represented by the lovely people at the Liberty Institute, who have a lousy record in courtrooms.
On the downside, this gives right-wing religious conservatives more fodder for fearmongering.
[thanks, John Voelcker]
People don’t say things if they don’t want to illicit a response. It’s unfortunate for him that the response he got isn’t to his liking. To make such statements within a workplace forum, solely to workplace colleagues, using the company’s computer, the company certainly has the right to step in and address this problem employee. Unlike your personal free time, your workplace is not a democracy. And unless this particular worker has visited Israel or Rome or has even read the bible, the “religious beliefs” claim is a red herring for what the real problem is. Which is that this guy is a total dick and has a big mouth.