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OC Church Within Rights to Fire Preschool Teacher for Living in Sin
Photo by melissssaf via the LAist Featured Photos pool
A church preschool director who lost her job because she lives with her boyfriend also lost her case against the church in court last week, reports the OC Register.
Sara Henry was hired by the Red Hill Lutheran Church in Tustin in 2002. She later moved in with her boyfriend, and the two had a baby. According to KTLA, Henry assured the church that she'd marry her baby daddy soon. But apparently it wasn't soon enough -- tongues began to wag amongst the parents of Henry's students about her living arrangements, at which point church administrators stepped in and gave her a decision: get married, or get fired.
So just to be clear: commit the rest of your life to someone you may or may not want to marry, or lose your means of supporting yourself and your child. Neighborly!
Henry decided not to get married, so she lost her job. She sued the church for wrongful termination last year and lost, then appealed that decision and lost as well. The Register explains:
The court denied Henry's wrongful termination claim saying the church does not qualify as an "employer" under the California Fair Employment Act and Housing and she was fired for religious reasons for which the church and school are exempt under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
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