Scientist Sues Employer That Denied His Religious Accommodation Request for a Fossil Fuel-Free Retirement Plan

A New York-based scientist is suing his employer for not offering 401(k) plans that exclude investments in fossil fuel companies, arguing the lack of such plans violates his Christian beliefs.A statistical science director at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Andrew Hartley, filed a federal lawsuit in the Western District of New York this week. Mr. Hartley, a member of the United Methodist Church who is being represented by an environmental law charity, ClientEarth, said that in 2024 he asked his employer to add a fossil-fuel-free 401(k) option, and provided a list of such funds for the company’s consideration. Thermo Fisher says its mission is to make the world “healthier, cleaner, and safe,” and it has a net-zero emissions commitment, with a deadline of 2050. However, the complaint says that Thermo Fisher did not respond to his requests and did not provide such an accommodation. The United Methodist Church has put an emphasis on climate change, due to a belief that it has a religious and moral obligation to care for the planet. The UMC’s general conference passed a resolution committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and has called for a transition away from fossil fuels. In 2024, the Fossil Free caucus of the UMC general conference tried to amend the church’s book of discipline to prevent investments in fossil fuel companies, but the amendment failed to pass. Mr. Hartley says his religious beliefs instruct him to care for the earth, which he said prohibits him from investing in or earning a profit from fossil fuel companies. “I’ve spent years trying to align my life with my beliefs, but every month I would witness my employer investing the money I’ve earned in the very climate destruction I’ve committed my life to fighting,” Mr. Hartley said in a statement. An attorney from ClientEarth, Ben Segal, said in a statement, “Andrew Hartley is not unusual. Tens of millions of Americans — of many faiths — believe that protecting the planet is the defining moral obligation of our time, and the law is increasingly clear that conviction like his deserves the same protection as any other sincerely held belief.”Mr. Segal said the case will present a test of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Groff v. DeJoy, which says that employers have to show that granting a religious accommodation would result in increased costs in connection with their business. “The Supreme Court strengthened religious accommodation rights for every American worker, including the millions who see the destruction of our climate as a profound moral wrong. This case is the first to put that principle to the test, and a victory would give every worker in America the legal footing to demand the same,” Mr. Segal said. Thermo Fisher said it does not comment on pending legal matters.

Scientist Sues Employer That Denied His Religious Accommodation Request for a Fossil Fuel-Free Retirement Plan

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