Disney Is Sued After Former Employee Alleges Discrimination

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal discrimination lawsuit on Monday against Disney (NYSE:DIS). The suit was filed on behalf of former Disney employee Imane Boudlal, who says she was harassed by co-workers and eventually fired from her job for wearing a Muslim head scarf called a hijab.

Boudlal, who worked at the Storytellers Cafe at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., for about two-years, says in the suit that her co-workers frequently taunted her with names like “camel” and “terrorist.” She also alleges that even though she complained in writing about the harassment, none of the four managers she addressed about the issue took action.

“Disneyland calls itself the happiest place on earth, but I faced harassment as soon as I started working there,” Boudlal said in a statement released by the ACLU of Southern California, Reuters reports. “It only got worse when I decided to wear a hijab.”

Boudlal claims that Disney would not allow her to properly wear her hijab because doing so would interfere with the park’s dress code. A representative from Disney says the company tried to work with Boudlal.

“Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a history of accommodating religious requests from cast members of all faiths,” Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a press statement. “We presented Ms. Boudlal with multiple options to accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as offered her several roles that would have allowed her to wear her own hijab.  Unfortunately, she rejected all of our efforts and has since refused to come to work.”


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2012/08/disney-is-sued-after-former-employee-alleges-discrimination/.

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