Lexington-Fayette Urban County 
Human Rights Commission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2, 2022

CONTACT:  William D. Wharton, Executive Director            
   
                    
Kathy Riley, Community Relations Coordinator
   
                     E-mail:  [email protected]
   
                                     [email protected]

Lexington Woman Awarded $5,000 in Discrimination Case Against Cracker Barrel 

    On Monday, July 17, 2000, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission upheld the recommended decision of the hearing examiner to award $5,000 in damages to Tammy Johnson in her discrimination case against Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Inc.

     In Tammy Johnson v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Inc., the hearing examiner determined that Cracker Barrel discriminated against Ms. Johnson in relation to religious accommodations and race.  Ms. Johnson, who is black, said that she was denied her requests to not be scheduled to work on an occasional Sunday for religious accommodation to attend church, while other employees, particularly a white female, were not scheduled on Sundays.  Cracker Barrel responded that they were not able to reasonably accommodate Ms. Johnson’s request for staffing reasons and that Ms. Johnson did not follow proper procedure when asking not to be scheduled on an occasional Sunday.

     A public hearing was held on March 20, 2023 after attempts at conciliation did not settle the dispute.  The hearing examiner awarded Ms. Johnson $2,500 for her embarrassment and humiliation in regard to her employer’s refusal to accommodate her religious belief and $2,500 for her embarrassment and humiliation relative to her employer subjecting her to disparate treatment due to her race.

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