Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been found to have violated Maryland’s employment anti-discrimination law when it discriminated against an employee because of his sexual orientation. U.S. District Judge Julie Rubin ordered CRS to pay $60,000 to the married gay former employee, John Doe, for violating the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act (MFEPA) when it revoked the health insurance coverage for the employee’s husband.
While the MFEPA has an exemption for religious organizations, the Baltimore-based humanitarian agency is not entitled to the exemption because the employee discriminated against was not engaged in work that directly advanced the organization’s mission, the judge found.
The ruling represents the first