Apple agreed to pay $150,000 to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit alleging religious discrimination and retaliation against a Jewish employee, according to court filings in Alexandria, Virginia.
The settlement resolves claims brought by Tyler Steele, who worked as an Apple Genius, a technical support role, at the Reston, Virginia Apple Store. Steele had been employed there since 2007 and received positive performance reviews throughout his tenure.
Steele converted to Judaism in 2023 and subsequently requested scheduling accommodations to avoid working on Shabbat, from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday. According to the EEOC complaint, a new store manager denied his requests and required him to work on Shabbat. The manager allegedly made antisemitic comments, including remarks about body odor and instructing Steele not to discuss the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
After the accommodation requests were denied and the alleged comments made, Apple disciplined and ultimately terminated Steele in January 2024. The company attributed the termination to violations of Apple's grooming policy. The EEOC, however, characterized the firing as discriminatory and retaliatory, arguing that it was directly connected to Steele's religious beliefs and his requests for Shabbataccommodation.
The EEOC originally filed suit in September 2025.
Under the settlement terms, Apple will pay Steele $150,000, consisting of $80,000 in back pay and $70,000 in compensatory damages and interest. The company did not admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
Beyond the monetary settlement, Apple agreed to provide religious-discrimination training for certain Northern Virginia retail employees and to report any related complaints or denials of religious accommodations to the EEOC for the next two years.
The settlement represents a significant enforcement action by the EEOC on religious accommodation in the retail sector. At approximately 550,000 to 570,000 Israeli shekels, the payout underscores the cost of denying religious accommodations and the liability that can follow from alleged discriminatory conduct by management.
