Popular Paramedic Files Suit After Being Terminated For Inviting A Co-Worker To Church 

September 2, 2003

Mathew D. Staver

Sylvania, GA – A popular paramedic named Sherry Lambert has filed a federal religious employment rights discrimination lawsuit against Memorial Health, Inc. after she was terminated for merely inviting a co-worker to her church. Ms. Lambert is represented by Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, a nationwide civil liberty education and legal defense organization. 

For three consecutive years, from 1999 to 2001, Ms. Lambert was voted the “Best EMT/Paramedic” for Screven in a poll conducted by the local newspaper, The Sylvania Telephone. As a paramedic, Ms. Lambert worked in twenty-four hour shifts, during which she would receive approximately seven calls requiring her unit to respond to emergency situations. During a large portion of each workday, she and her co-workers socialized in the station house waiting for the next call. Employees at the station house often talk about varied topics. On October 31, 2001, while at the station house, Ms. Lambert invited a co-worker to her church. Although the co-worker did not complain to Ms. Lambert about the invitation, when the employer learned of the invitation, the employer terminated her on November 14.

Ms. Lambert is a lifelong resident of Screven County, and Memorial Health, Inc. (d/b/a MedStarOne) is the only company in the county that provides emergency services and that hires paramedics. The lawsuit claims that the employer violated the federal law known as Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination based on religion. The lawsuit seeks reinstatement and back pay. 

Staver commented, “For the past three years, Sherry Lambert has been voted the “Best EMT/Paramedic” in the entire county. The citizens of Screven County voted her the best because she truly cares for her patients. It is reasonable during downtime while working a twenty-four hour shift for employees to communicate with each other and to invite one another to after-work activities. No employee had ever been terminated for this activity until Ms. Lambert invited a co-worker to her church. I’m appalled at the inflexibility and the harshness of the actions taken by MedStarOne against Ms. Lambert for merely inviting a co-worker to church.” Staver concluded, “Federal law guarantees that employers may not create a hostile environment in which religion is treated as a disability. During downtime or breaks when not performing essential functions of the job, the place of employment is not a religion-free zone.”

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Mathew D. Staver, Esq.
Liberty Counsel
http://www.lc.org.

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