Abercrombie & Fitch Pays More Than $25,000 to Settle Headscarf Lawsuit

Samantha Elauf
Muslim woman Samantha Elauf, who was denied a sales job at an Abercrombie Kids store in Tulsa in 2008, stands with her mother Majda outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on February 25. Jim Bourg/Reuters

Retailer Abercrombie & Fitch paid more than $25,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by an Oklahoma woman who was denied employment because she wore a Muslim headscarf to her job interview at one of its children's stores in 2008.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the clothing company discriminated against Samantha Elauf, then 17, when she wore a hijab to her interview seven years ago at a store in Tulsa. The justices decided management can't make employment decisions based on an applicant's religious practice.

Then on Monday, a court dismissed the retailer's appeal, a week after the company said it would settle, according to Reuters. The company paid $25,670 in damages to Elauf and $18,983 in court costs.

The retailers had said Elauf's traditional Muslim headscarf violated its strict policy, which prohibits wearing "caps." New regulations implemented earlier this year vow to be less "exclusionary."

Abercrombie & Fitch recently has struggled financially, amid a decline in sales and overall mall traffic.

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