Kentucky grocery store wouldn’t hire man because of his dreadlocks, lawsuit says

A Hometown IGA grocery store in Whitley County declined to hire a man last year because he refused to cut his dreadlocks, which he said he wore for religious reasons, a federal discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday said.

In September 2021, Matthew Barnett interviewed to be an assistant manager at an IGA in Williamsburg, Ky. According to the suit — which was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — Barnett was told that he would need to cut his hair to be hired for the position. He refused and was not hired.

Barnett is a Spiritualist Rastafarian and his “hair is long and worn in dreadlocks in order to connect him to God,” the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, states. The suit names both the Hometown IGA and Houchens Food Group, IGA’s parent company.

By not attempting to make an accommodation for Barnett’s religious beliefs and practices, the store violated Barnett’s religious rights outlined in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a press release from the EEOC said.

“No employee or applicant should have to choose between their religion and their job,” said EEOC Indianapolis District Director Michelle Eisele, in the release.

The commission filed the suit after making attempts to reach a pre-litigation settlement. In January, the commission issued a Letter of Determination to IGA, noting that it found reasonable cause to believe that the store had subjected Barnett to religious discrimination.

The letter invited the company to join in conciliation methods that would “remedy the discriminatory practices” found in the letter but an agreement couldn’t be reached.

The suit seeks to push the store to institute policies that accommodate the religious beliefs of employees as well as compensate Barnett with “appropriate back-pay” and any other monetary losses suffered due to the “unlawful employment practices.”

“Employers must consider reasonable accommodations, as necessary, which allow employees and applicants to hold jobs without sacrificing their religious beliefs,” said Ken Bird, a regional attorney with the EEOC said in the release.

The case is being brought forth by the commission’s Louisville office.

A request for comment sent to Houchens is yet to be returned.