A Durham security company has agreed to pay $65,231 to a former employee after federal regulators determined the firm fired her for requesting time off to observe a Muslim religious holiday. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement with North Carolina Detective Agency, Inc., finding the company violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it terminated the woman in June 2025 after she failed to report for duty during the holiday.
According to the EEOC, the agency was aware of the employee’s need for a religious accommodation but failed to conduct a good-faith interactive dialogue with her before letting her go, as reported by the Raleigh News & Observer. Federal civil rights law requires employers to engage employees in that kind of back-and-forth conversation once a religious accommodation request comes in, rather than simply denying it and moving to discipline. The commission found reasonable cause to believe the company denied the employee time off for the holiday and then fired her for the absence.
North Carolina Detective Agency, headquartered at 2102 Fay Street in Durham, offers 24/7 armed and non-armed security, patrol, and investigative services to businesses, hospitals, neighborhoods, and events across the Triangle, according to Discover Durham. The case was resolved through a voluntary conciliation agreement, an administrative process that let the company settle the EEOC’s finding without a courtroom fight. As part of the deal, the agency will not have to admit liability for religious discrimination.
What the Settlement Requires
Beyond the $65,231 in back pay and compensatory damages, the agency must overhaul how it handles requests like the one that triggered this case. The company is required to train all employees, including supervisors, on equal employment opportunity rights, and it must draft written policies explicitly prohibiting religious discrimination…