Iowa Man Settles Lawsuit After Firing Over Religious Pride Month T-Shirts

Cosby “Corey” Cunningham, a Christian man from Iowa, reached a settlement with his former employer, Eaton Corp., after suing the company for allegedly firing him due to his wearing Bible-themed T-shirts during their Pride Month celebrations. Eaton had raised a Pride flag, encouraged employees to wear Pride-themed colors, and offered Pride shirts for purchase, to which Cunningham responded by wearing shirts with Bible verses expressing his religious beliefs. Company management reportedly found his shirts inflammatory and claimed they made other employees uncomfortable, denying his requests for religious accommodation and enforcing their harassment-free policy, which led to his termination in August 2023. Cunningham filed complaints with both federal and state civil rights agencies before suing Eaton for civil rights violations. The case highlighted tensions between religious expression and workplace inclusivity policies, with Cunningham represented by attorney Robert Anderson from the Pacific Justice Institute. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and specific details of the settlement were not disclosed.