The accommodation worked for months — until a new supervisor arrived
The EEOC is suing Dolgencorp LLC, alleging a new supervisor demoted a Jewish employee because he could not work Saturdays due to his faith.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit on March 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (EEOC v. Dolgencorp LLC, Case 1:26-cv-00041-LAG). The agency accuses the company of religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
At the center of the case is Cody Owens, who was hired as a lead sales associate at Dolgencorp's Sylvester, Georgia, location on or around June 28, 2023. When he came on board, Owens told the company about his Jewish faith and his practice of observing the Sabbath, which meant he could not work on Saturdays. He asked not to be scheduled on those days. The company agreed.
By the EEOC's account, the arrangement worked. Owens carried out his duties without issue while using the accommodation. The agency also alleges it placed no undue hardship on the employer. On or around December 9, 2023, the company promoted Owens to assistant store manager.
That changed, according to the filing, when a new supervisor, Salisa Guest, was assigned to the store on or around December 30, 2023. Owens informed Guest of his existing religious accommodation. On or around January 13, 2025, the EEOC alleges, Guest demoted Owens back to lead sales associate, stating she wanted an assistant store manager who could work Saturdays.
The agency contends the demotion amounted to religious discrimination — that Owens lost his position because his faith kept him from working one day of the week. The EEOC further alleges the company acted intentionally and with malice or reckless indifference to his federally protected rights.
For HR professionals, the case puts a sharp point on a question that does not always get the attention it deserves: when a manager changes, what happens to the accommodations already in place? Here, according to the EEOC, an employee who had worked under an approved accommodation for months — and who had been promoted during that time — was allegedly demoted after a new supervisor stated she wanted an assistant store manager who could work Saturdays. It is the kind of scenario that can turn a routine supervisor transition into a federal lawsuit.
The EEOC is asking the court to order the company to stop discriminating on the basis of religion, to provide Owens with backpay and compensatory damages, and to award punitive damages. The agency has also requested reinstatement or front pay and demanded a jury trial.
Before filing suit, the EEOC found reasonable cause that the law had been violated and attempted to reach a resolution through conciliation. Those efforts failed, and the agency issued a formal notice to that effect on September 17, 2025, before taking the case to court.
No final determination has been made in the case.
