By Caleb Downs
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — A woman is suing Dallas County after she says her job offer with the sheriff’s office was rescinded after she told her would-be employers she was an Orthodox Jew and would need to leave work early on Fridays for the Sabbath.
Isabel Balderas filed her suit Wednesday in district court. She’s seeking between $100,000 and $1 million in damages.
“The thing is they didn’t even want to talk to the lady about different options,” said Robert Lee, Balderas’ attorney. “She was willing to do all kinds of things. She said ‘I’ll work extra days, I’m only asking for this little thing.’ They gave her no slack.”
Representatives from the Dallas County Human Resources department declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Melinda Urbina, a spokesperson for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, said the department doesn’t have an accurate number of Jewish employees because they do not ask for religious affiliation during the hiring process.
If there are any Jewish employees with the sheriff’s office, it is unclear how the department accommodates their religious beliefs.
Balderas’ suit alleges she was offered a data management position with the sheriff’s office Resource Development Division around July 10, 2013.
After she was selected for the position, she informed her new employer that she is an Orthodox Jew who observes the Jewish Sabbath. As such, she would need to go home before sundown on Fridays, which would typically require her to leave 30 minutes before the end of her shift during winter months.
The sheriff’s office’s reaction to Balderas’ request was “disbelief and confusion,” according to the suit.
“Whenever she originally told them about her requirement, they said, ‘Well, we’re going to have to think about that,’” Lee said. “The next day they just pulled the offer.”
The suit says Balderas mentioned various ways she could make up the time, but the sheriff’s office wouldn’t accommodate her.
“From our perspective,” Lee said, “we don’t know why they couldn’t just adjust her schedule. There are plenty of religious Christians that need off on Sundays. You’re required under the law to provide reasonable accommodation to persons of religious belief. I don’t understand why that could not have been provided here.”
Balderas’ suit claims Dallas County discriminated against her based on her religion, violating her civil rights.