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Having heard the arguments of both the Conrad Miami Hotel and Marie Jean Pierre, a jury came to the conclusion that the latter be awarded $21 m in damages, plus $35,000 (£27,185) in back wages and $500,000 (£388,360) for emotional pain and mental anguish when she was fired in 2016.
She is a devout Christian who worships at Bethel Baptist Church in Miami.
Marie Jean Pierre, a Haitian, had reportedly worked for the hotel as a pot washer for over a decade.
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Initially, when they hired her, she made it clear to her employers that she would not compromise her religion for anything. She told them categorically: “I love God. No work on Sunday, because Sunday I honour God.”
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For the first seven years of her employment, the Conrad Miami Hotel management had not worried her to work on Sundays, until they suddenly changed their minds and “set her up for absenteeism”, on which basis they fired her.
According to the hotel which was then managed by Hilton Hotels, Marie absented herself from work on six Sundays.
The aggrieved woman resorted to the law court to get redress for her wrongful dismissal.
She claimed her rights were trampled upon under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects workers from discrimination on the bases of race, religion, sex or national origin.
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Woman fired for refusing to work on Sundays sues hotel, wins gargantuan compensation
Marie’s lawyer, Marc Brumer argued: “They accommodated her for seven years, and they easily could have accommodated her, but instead of doing that, they set her up for absenteeism and threw her out.
“She’s a soldier of Christ. She was doing this for all the other workers who are being discriminated against.”
Meanwhile, Marie may only receive $500,000 out of the over $21 m because Of a cap of $300,000 on punitive damage awards in federal court.
However, an elated Marie said she is more concerned about the message her victory will send to other companies that “whatever size you are, if you’re going to take the blood and sweat of your workers, you better accommodate them or let them at least believe in their religious beliefs”.
Hilton Hotels has expressed dissatisfaction with the court’s ruling, hinting of appeal against it.
It claims: “During Ms Pierre’s 10 years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments.”