A religious discrimination case against Dave Ramsey can proceed, federal court rules

Christian celebrity Dave Ramsey and his company, Ramsey Solutions, remain engaged in a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee after a federal appeals court ruled last week that the case should not have been dismissed by a lower-court judge.

The lawsuit is from Brad Amos, who lost his job as a video editor during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Religion News Service .

Amos alleges that he was unlawfully punished for his religious beliefs about safety precautions, including mask-wearing and vaccination.

If you followed the faith-related legal drama that dominated headlines in 2020, you might be surprised to hear that Amos supports masking and social distancing.

He’s on the opposite side of those issues as the people of faith who brought most pandemic-related religious discrimination lawsuits, which often centered on faith-based opposition to vaccine mandates, as the Deseret News previously reported.

Dave Ramsey lawsuit

In his lawsuit, Amos claims that his support for safety precautions stemmed from his belief in the golden rule. He wanted to wear a mask, social distance and work from home in order to keep others safe, he says.

Amos alleges that his religious beliefs came into conflict with his employer’s religious beliefs — and that he was fired as a result.

“Amos’ attorneys alleged that at the Lampo Group — which does business as Ramsey Solutions — wearing a mask or social distancing was seen as ‘against the will of God,’ and employees were required to agree with Ramsey’s beliefs about the pandemic,” Religion News Service reported.

Amos further alleges that he was told to “pray and keep moving forward” when he raised concerns about putting his wife and child at risk for COVID-19, per NBC News .

Last December, a U.S. district court judge dismissed Amos’ lawsuit, ruling that he had not shown that he was the victim of religious discrimination.

But last week, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the dismissal of the discrimination claim, deciding that the case could proceed.

“The court ruled that federal law protects employees from discrimination based on ‘religious non-conformity’ — also known as reverse discrimination, or requiring an employee to follow a religious belief or practice,” Religion News Service reported.

Response from Dave Ramsey’s company

Representatives of Ramsey Solutions did not respond to Religion News Service’s request for a comment on the 6th Circuit’s ruling

When the lawsuit was first filed, the company told NBC News that Amos’ termination was unrelated to his religious beliefs.

“Mr. Amos was fired during a meeting to discuss his poor performance with his leaders, where he insulted his most senior leader. He was not terminated for his religious beliefs or how he wanted to handle Covid,” the statement to NBC News said.