Latest news with #PennsylvaniaHumanRelationsCommission
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Penn State faces COVID-19 religious exemption lawsuit brought by former worker
An evangelical Christian who was fired by Penn State argued in a lawsuit filed Friday that the university discriminated and retaliated against him after he requested a religious exemption from the school's weekly COVID-19 testing mandate. Former remote multimedia specialist Zachary Rackovan, of Blair County, claimed Penn State acted with malice when it approved his request to be exempt from the university's vaccine mandate, but not the testing requirement. Both were in place around the time vaccines became widely available. 'If I were to submit myself to the weekly testing, I would not just be disappointed in myself, I would quite literally be compromising my relationship with God, and my eternal salvation,' Rackovan wrote in an email to the university. A Penn State spokesperson declined Monday an opportunity to respond to the lawsuit, citing the university's policy against commenting publicly about ongoing litigation. Rackovan said he submitted his religious accommodation request in October 2021, writing in an email to the university that weekly testing for remote employees was unnecessary and against his religious beliefs. His attorney said Penn State turned down Rackovan's request to reconsider. His lawsuit said he was disciplined in March 2022 because he was not in compliance with the testing requirement and would be terminated if he did not comply. Rackovan said he was fired two weeks later. The next business day after Rackovan's firing, Penn State announced it would pause COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission found there was probable cause to show Penn State discriminated against Rackovan. His five-count lawsuit is seeking back and front pay, court-ordered religious freedom sensitivity training, and compensatory and punitive damages.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to pay over $71k in discrimination case
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has been ordered to pay over $71,000 to a former worker as part of a disability and discrimination case. The PUC was ordered to pay $71,560.42 and to continue paying the former employee for lost wages for up to one year. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) found the PUC discriminated against an employee based on their disability and failed to provide them with reasonable accommodations. They also noted that the working conditions were so intolerable that the employee was forced to resign. Pennsylvania had the most Medicaid fraud charges filed in 2024 'This decision reaffirms the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission's commitment to protecting the rights of employees with disabilities,' PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter, MSW said. 'Employers have a legal and moral obligation to provide reasonable accommodations, and those that fail to do so will be held accountable under the law. We stand firm in our mission to ensure workplaces across the Commonwealth are free from discrimination. Here's what the commission ordered for both parties: The former employee will file semi-annual reports to PUC indicating the gross amount of earnings made during the previous six-month period, for a period of one year. If the amount they earned is less than what they would have earned as an employee of PUC, PUC shall pay the amount of gross earnings they would have earned with PUC minus their gross earnings during the relevant six-month period. The former employee will also continue making good faith efforts to secure employment in mitigation of the damages. PUC to cease and desist from denying reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and from otherwise discriminating against employees with disabilities. PUC to attend mandatory training provided by the PHRC or by an entity approved by the PHRC. PUC to implement policies requiring individualized assessments of the essential functions of a position prior to denying requests for reasonable accommodations. The PHRC, the state's civil rights enforcement agency, urges anyone who has experienced acts of discrimination to file a complaint by calling 717-787-4410. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Suit claims Pa. Human Relations Commission's LGBTQ+ protections are unconstitutional
An LGBTQ+ pride flag. Two school districts and a group of parents are suing the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission over its expansion of the prohibition on sex discrimination to include LGBTQ+ people. The lawsuit was filed last week in Commonwealth Court by the Thomas More Society, a conservative Catholic public interest law firm. It alleges the PHRC violated the state constitution when it 'created a heretofore unimagined meaning of 'sex' within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.' The commission, which enforces state laws against discrimination, announced new regulations in June 2023 under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) and the Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act (PFEOA). The regulations clarified the definition of 'sex' to include 'sex assigned at birth, gender identity or expression, differences in sex development and affectional or sexual orientation,' consistent with the broad definitions used by federal and state courts. 'Gov. Josh Shapiro's and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission's radical redefinition of 'sex' undermines our state constitution, parental rights, and the fair and equal treatment of every Pennsylvanian — male or female,' Thomas More Society attorney Tom King of Butler, said in a statement. 'This regulatory redefinition of reality is a blatant example of government bureaucrats overstepping their authority to push gender ideology.' A spokesperson for the PHRC said the agency was referring requests for comment to Gov. Josh Shapiro's office. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX At an event touting his energy plan Wednesday, Shapiro responded to a question, saying had not read the lawsuit but believes it is his responsibility as governor to carry on the vision of William Penn to make Pennsylvania 'a place that would be warm and welcoming for all people.' 'I understand that there are those who want to try and score cheap political points by bullying a trans kid or making it harder for someone to marry who they love,' Shapiro said. 'That's just not where I am, and that's certainly not where I think the vast majority of Pennsylvanians are. The people I meet every day are people who are welcoming, people who are tolerant, and I think we need to continue to be welcoming and tolerant here in this Commonwealth.' At least 24 states and dozens of cities and other municipalities across the United States have extended anti discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ+ people. In May 2023, the state House passed House Bill 300, which would have statutorily included LGBTQ+ people as a protected class under the Human Relations Act. The measure, which had bipartisan support in the chamber, was never considered in the state Senate. The legislation, called the Fairness Act, was first introduced in 2001 by Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), but only passed in the House 22 years later, after Democrats won a one-vote majority. After the House returned to session this past January, the House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus responded to an executive order by President Donald Trump recognizing only male and female sexes, saying 'the ground has shifted under the feet of transgender people in the wake of President Donald Trump's executive orders and speeches, which denied their very existence.' 'These actions are hateful, ignorant, and dangerous—they threaten to unravel decades of progress our society has made toward fairness and equality,' the caucus, chaired by Rep. Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny), said in a statement. 'Gender identity and expression cannot be delegitimized by the stroke of a pen. Attempts to do so are shameful.' The caucus said its members would pursue and exhaust all legislative avenues 'through the Fairness Act and beyond' to safeguard transgender people in Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the South Side Area and Knoch school districts in Beaver County and the parents of children enrolled in public schools in Chester, Delaware, Lawrence and Montgomery counties. Rep. Barbara Gleim (R-Cumberland) is also a plaintiff. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The suit notes that while the state constitution permits the legislature to delegate the authority to administer and execute laws, the 'basic policy choices' and standards to guide and restrain administration of laws must be established by the legislature. The plaintiffs claim the legislature did not give the PHRC authority to expand the definition of 'sex' or 'gender.' It also claims the PHRC regulations conflict with a recent state Supreme Court decision that referred to a 1968 Random House Dictionary definition of 'sex' based on reproductive functions and physical characteristics. In that decision, the court declared the state's ban on Medicaid-funded abortions 'presumptively unconstitutional.' The PHRC's regulations usurp the legislature's authority, the suit claims, under the Public School Code. Under it, school boards have the power to regulate their schools and student activities. However, under the PHRC regulations, school boards that choose to divide school rest rooms, sports and other activities by male and female genders are engaging in prohibited discrimination, the suit says.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawsuit aims to strike down LGBTQ antidiscrimination protections in Pennsylvania
Two public school districts and several parents have sued Pennsylvania in a bid to undo antidiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people, saying the state's two-year-old regulation is illegal because it goes beyond what lawmakers intended or allowed. The lawsuit comes amid a national debate over the rights of transgender high school athletes to compete in women's sports, and was filed in the statewide Commonwealth Court late Thursday. If the lawsuit is successful, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission would no longer be able to investigate complaints about discrimination involving sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The plaintiffs' lawyers also say a favorable ruling in court would bar transgender student athletes from competing in women's high school sports in Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs include two districts — South Side Area and Knoch, both in western Pennsylvania — and two Republican state lawmakers, Reps. Aaron Bernstine and Barbara Gleim, as well as three parents and seven students. The lawsuit names Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, which investigates complaints about discrimination because of someone's race, sex, religion, age or disability in housing, employment and public accommodations. Shapiro's office said it had no immediate comment Friday, and the commission did not respond to an inquiry about the lawsuit Friday. The lawsuit is aimed at the definition of sex discrimination, which the commission expanded by regulation to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The regulation was approved in late 2022 by a separate regulatory gatekeeper agency, and it took effect in 2023. The plaintiffs contend that the state Supreme Court has interpreted the term 'sex' as used in the Pennsylvania Constitution to mean either male or female. They also contend that the state Legislature never gave permission to the Human Relations Commission to write regulations expanding the legal definition of sex discrimination, making the regulation a violation of the Legislature's constitutional authority over lawmaking. The commission has justified the expanded definition by saying that state courts have held that Pennsylvania's antidiscrimination laws are to be interpreted consistently with federal antidiscrimination law. The commission can negotiate settlements between parties or impose civil penalties, such as back pay or damages. For years, Democratic lawmakers tried to change the law to add the terms sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to the portfolio of complaints that the Human Relations Commission could investigate. Every time, Republican lawmakers blocked the effort. Shapiro, in the past, has backed the Democrats' legislation and in 2021 called GOP-backed legislation to prohibit transgender athletes from playing women's high school and college sports 'cruel.' Most states have laws against discriminating against gay or transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations or investigate such complaints, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for equality for LGBTQ people. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CBS News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
2 western Pennsylvania school districts sue to strike down state's LGBTQ antidiscrimination protections
Two public school districts and several parents have sued the state in a bid to undo antidiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people in Pennsylvania, saying that the two-year-old regulation is illegal because it goes beyond what lawmakers intended or allowed. The lawsuit, filed in the statewide Commonwealth Court late Thursday, comes amid a debate in Pennsylvania and nationally over the rights of transgender high school athletes to compete in women's sports. If the lawsuit is successful, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission would no longer be able to investigate complaints about discrimination involving sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The plaintiffs' lawyers also say a favorable ruling in court would bar transgender student athletes from competing in women's high school sports in Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs include two districts — South Side Area and Knoch, both in western Pennsylvania — and two Republican state lawmakers, Reps. Aaron Bernstine and Barbara Gleim, as well as three parents and seven students. The lawsuit names Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, which investigates complaints about discrimination because of someone's race, sex, religion, age or disability in housing, employment and public accommodations. Shapiro's office said it had no immediate comment Friday and the commission did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the lawsuit Friday. The lawsuit is aimed at the definition of sex discrimination that the commission expanded by regulation to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The regulation was approved in late 2022 by a separate regulatory gatekeeper agency, and it took effect in 2023. The plaintiffs contend that the state Supreme Court has interpreted the term "sex" as used in the Pennsylvania Constitution to mean either male or female. They also contend that the state Legislature never gave permission to the Human Relations Commission to write regulations expanding the legal definition of sex discrimination, making the regulation a violation of the Legislature's constitutional authority over lawmaking. The commission has justified the expanded definition by saying that state courts have held that Pennsylvania's antidiscrimination laws are to be interpreted consistently with federal antidiscrimination law. The commission can negotiate settlements between parties or impose civil penalties, such as back pay or damages. For years, Democratic lawmakers tried to change the law to add the terms sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to the portfolio of complaints that the Human Relations Commission could investigate. Every time, Republican lawmakers blocked the effort.
