Former exec in Irvine says he was fired over religion

[question everything]

latimes.com


Former exec in Irvine says he was fired over religion

Discrimination suit alleges car wax manufacturer had expected him to be 'on fire for Jesus.'
By Christopher Goffard
Times Staff Writer

January 23, 2007

A former executive of an Irvine car wax manufacturer alleges in a lawsuit that the company fired him because he had not pursued "a Christian lifestyle" and wasn't "on fire for Jesus."

Atticus O. Firey, 34, of Newport Beach contends Meguiar's Inc. committed religious discrimination when it fired him in July after nearly 10 years with the company. Company president Barry Meguiar repeatedly urged Firey, then the chief operating officer, to attend church, the suit alleges, and told him he was "robbing this company of the blessing of God by not being on your knees and on fire for Jesus."

Meguiar, who is host of a cable TV and radio program called "Car Crazy," did not return a call seeking comment. His lawyer, Richard Ruben, said religion had nothing to do with Firey's firing. He said the company's senior management decided to terminate Firey because his job performance was sub-par, with a management style that was "demeaning" and "negative."

(snip)

The suit, filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court, says Meguiar sat in Firey's office and read to him from the Bible, thrust Christian books on him and demanded he read them and forced managers to attend prayer meetings. When Firey asked about a promised bonus, the suit says, Meguiar said he would not give it to him until Firey joined a Christian church. Confronted with his behavior, the suit says, Meguiar said he had the right to manage the business, which has some 300 employees, by the tenets of Pentecostal Christianity.

(snip)

Firey, who is Meguiar's former son-in-law, alleges in his suit that in another instance, his boss tried to block the hiring of an employee because she was living "in sin as a fornicator" with her boyfriend.

(snip)

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-christian23jan23,1,2044558.story?coll=la-editions-orange

[SoCalDem]

1. "former son-in-law" says it all for me n/t

[MADem]

2. Yep, the second I read that, the "On fire for Jesus" nonsense flew out the windown.

Firey was likely fired because he was on fire for some other chiquita and Mrs. Firey had daddy do some firing!!!

That said, they all sound like a bunch of flakes.

[DemSinceBirth]

3. Son in law or not, if they witheld funds to force him to join a church,

I would hope there would be some sort of recourse for Firey.

Like the previous poster, the familial relation bothers me on both sides.

[Erika]

4. Oh those Christian intolerants n/a

[Initech]

5. Ah, they're using the time-honored "convert or die" tactic!

How traditional! :eyes:

[lapfog_1]

6. I spent some time in Irvine...

and it is a hotbed of fundie shit, in the middle of repuke land. I wish they would all move to Waco, Tx or something.

[question everything]

8. Except for city council, dominaed by Larry Agran, a 1992 Democratic

Presidential candidate and a former liberal..

More centrist now, but not a RWer..

[SheilaT]

7. Unless he's a member

of some protected category, he probably has no recourse. Unless he had an actual employment contract of some kind, which I rather doubt, almost all employees are employees at will, meaning the can be hired or not hired or fired for any reason or no reason.