An employee who alleged that he was terminated after he refused to remove tape from the back of his I.D. badge — which he had placed there in an effort to cover up the company’s religious mission statement because it conflicted with his beliefs as an atheist — was precluded by prior proceedings before the state unemployment compensation board from re-litigating his Title VII failure to accommodate claim, a federal district court in Pennsylvania ruled.

However, because the issue of whether he engaged in opposition activity under Title VII was never adjudicated, the court refused to dismiss his retaliation claim (Mathis v Christian Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc, October 7, 2014, DuBois, J).

Mission statement. The employee, a sheet metal installer for a heating and air conditioning company, alleged that he was repeatedly subjected to comments from the company owner about his religious beliefs. The I.D. badge that he was required to wear had the company’s mission statement printed on back. The statement read in part: “This company is not only a business, it is a ministry. It is set on standards that are higher than man’s own. Our goal is to run this company in a way most pleasing to the lord.” Although he wore the badge during working hours, he covered the statement with duct tape.