U.S. Files Bias Suit Over Bakery’s Firing

The federal government sued a local bakery Thursday for firing an employee after she refused to wear a Christmas apron, citing her religious beliefs.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the discrimination suit against Viktor Bene’s Continental Bakery in federal court in Los Angeles. Employees at the Westlake neighborhood bakery declined comment.

The government alleges that Dawn Wolfe, a Jehovah’s Witness, was fired after she declined to wear a festive apron for the 1993 holiday season. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate any holidays, including religious observations and birthdays.

EEOC attorney Pamela Thomason said the apron was not adorned with any Christmas symbols. It was simply red.

“This case is egregious because of how easy it would be to accommodate her. She could wear the regular apron,” she said. The types of persecution she more typically sees involve refusal to change scheduling for Sabbath and other important days.

“We don’t usually see one this easy,” Thomason said. If the case doesn’t settle out of court, it should begin trial within a year, she added.

An attorney for Wolfe, who recently moved to the Antelope Valley, said she was pleased the EEOC found validity in her claim. “She’s hoping for a resolution soon,” said lawyer Bart Ring of Woodland Hills.

Viktor Bene’s is located inside Gelson’s Market but is not affiliated with the upscale grocery chain, said John Vitale, vice president of perishables.

“All I do is lease them space,” he said. In all, six Gelson’s stores feature Viktor Bene’s bakeries.

A woman who answered the phone at the bakery’s Burbank headquarters said no one was available for comment.

Thomason said this is the first allegation of discrimination against the bakery. The government is seeking recovery of lost wages, compensatory and punitive damages.