Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Fired for Leaving Jehovah’s Witness Church?

(CN) - A Kansas woman says in Federal Court that her boss called her a "filthy fornicator" and threatened, "I will strip you naked and make you dance for the men in the shop," after she quit being a Jehovah's Witness.

Amanda Qualls worked for Franchise Strategies as a bookkeeper until she was fired on Sept. 3, 2010, according to the complaint.

Qualls says company president Stanley Stover hired her after they met at the Jehovah's Witness church in Kingman, Kan.

Stover made it clear that membership to the Kingdom Hall was a requirement for employment, according to the complaint.

Qualls claims that Stover was considering promoting her until she stopped coming to his church in March 2010. At that point, Stover, a church elder, told Qualls she would be "disfellowshipped" if she didn't start going to church and marry her fiance, the complaint states.

"Also in March, Stover repeatedly called her a 'filthy fornicator' and told her that she needed to keep her pants on," Qualls says. "The following month, Stover's treatment became more and more outrageous. At one point he told her that if she didn't get a job done on time, 'I will strip you naked and make you dance for the men in the shop.'"

"On August 11, 2010, Stover told Ms. Qualls that his wife was getting upset with him for playing inappropriately with his foster daughters. As a result of this information, the plaintiff's fiance reported Stover to Child Protective Services on September 1, 2010.

Ms. Qualls was fired two days later on September 3, 2010." Qualls seeks damages for discrimination. She is represented by Randall Rathbun of Depew Gillen Rathbun in Wichita.

Follow @@joeharris_stl
Categories / Uncategorized

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...