"God's Will" Firing Triggers Suit

April 18, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A former television production company employee is suing her ex-boss for religious harassment, after he fired her because it was "God's will."

Michelle Subwick, 35, sued her former boss, WJMK Productions head Mark Kielar, last Tuesday in Palm Beach Circuit Court. Subwick alleged that Kielar told her that her bipolar disorder resulted from Satan infiltrating her life. She claims that Kielar advised her to pray daily with him – and Subwick, who is Christian, reportedly did so for a time. However, she claims she was fired when she stopped the sessions, according to the Associated Press.

For his part, Kielar denied the accusations, saying he is a target of “legal terrorism.” He said the lawsuits were attempts at making a profit “through sensationalized and false claim making.”

Scripture Verse

It was the second such suit brought against Kielar, who was sued in January by Rozanne Sonneborn, a former producer who alleged she was fired because she complained about the company’s practice of including scriptures inside employees’ paycheck envelopes and promoting Bible study sessions in the office. According to the AP, the company encourages employees to conduct Bible study at the office, but attendance is not mandatory.

Kielar claims that both women were fired last year because of the sluggish economy and poor work. “The terms and circumstances under which those individuals were dismissed had everything to do with fiscal prudence and their poor job performance and absolutely nothing to do with anything or anyone else,” Kielar said in a statement.

Subwick, who reportedly worked at WJMK Productions in Boca Raton from 1996 until 2001, is asking for back pay, damages, and attorney’s fees.

WJMK produces secular programs for cable television.

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