An Illinois jury recently awarded $240,000 to a pair of Muslim men who believed they were terminated from their position of employment with a trucking company after both men refused to serve alcohol, a violation of their religious practices as devout Muslims. Chief U.S. District Judge James Shadid ruled that Star Transport Inc. had violated the religious beliefs of Mahad Abass Mohamed and Abdikarim Hassan Bulshale. Said trial concluded on October 20th, after a jury found in favor of the plaintiffs for the amount indicated above. A lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2013, claiming that Star Transport Inc. did not provide both employees with a reasonable accommodation in accordance with their religious beliefs and terminated them because they were Muslim. June Calhoun, an attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, argued that Star Transport failed to provide discrimination training to the staff at their Human Resources department, which lead to the unfair treatment of the Muslim employees. In a prepared statement, Calhoun noted that "by this verdict, the jury remedied the injustice by sending clear messages to Star Transport and other employers that they will be held accountable for their unlawful employment practices." Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that employers cannot discriminate against employees in any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, compensation, promotions, assignments, and benefits. Call the Akin Law Group to schedule a free consultation. If you are a member of a protected class and believe that you are being discriminated against at your employment, do not allow yourself to be a victim. Don’t suffer in silence: contact the Akin Law Group at 866.685.5163 to schedule a free consultation with a skilled employment lawyer.