Luxor and Aria, like Venetian, have settled disputes involving accusations of religious discrimination in lawsuits.
In a significant move, the Aria Resort & Casino and Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas have settled lawsuits with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over claims of denying religious accommodations to employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Operated by MGM Resorts International but licensed separately, both resorts were found to have violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by denying employees reasonable religious accommodations related to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The settlements, reached through conciliation agreements, do not admit liability on the part of Aria and Luxor. However, they have agreed to take corrective steps, including implementing training for their human resources staff with a focus on religious accommodation requirements under Title VII. The EEOC will monitor compliance with the agreements to ensure these policies are properly followed.
Financial terms of the settlements were not disclosed, unlike a related lawsuit involving The Venetian, another Las Vegas Strip casino, which settled a religious discrimination lawsuit with an $850,000 payout and policy changes. EEOC Las Vegas Local Director Michael Mendoza praised Aria and Luxor for instituting training measures, emphasizing the importance of reasonable religious accommodations unless they cause undue hardship to the employer’s business.
This marks a significant federal enforcement action ensuring employers honor religious accommodation rights during pandemic vaccine policy enforcement. Director Mendoza emphasized the importance of employers understanding that federal law requires reasonable religious accommodations.
The specific terms of the Aria and Luxor settlements have not been disclosed. The Venetian Casino Resort, another MGM property in Las Vegas, previously settled a lawsuit over religious discrimination.
Mendoza commended both The Aria and Luxor for putting in place training measures that will have a lasting impact on workers seeking religious accommodations in the workplace. The Aria and Luxor lawsuits are related to issues that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the Aria Resort & Casino and Luxor Hotel & Casino being involved in lawsuits over COVID-19 vaccine mandate-related religious accommodation denials, they have agreed to establish training for their human resources staff to adhere to Title VII requirements. This move marks a federal enforcement action underscoring the importance of employers respecting religious accommodation rights during the pandemic.
