Denver airport contractor faces trial over head scarves

A federal jury will decide whether a ground services operator at Denver’s airport discriminated against Muslim employees by not allowing them to wear head scarves.

Jurors in Denver began hearing evidence in the lawsuit brought against JetStream Ground Services by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Monday.

The EEOC sued the Jupiter, Florida-based company on behalf of six Muslim women in 2013. It claims the company violated their civil rights by refusing to hire them, firing them or cutting their hours for following their religious beliefs.

The Denver Post reports that an attorney for the company, Raymond Deeny, denied the allegations during opening statements. He said the company laid off several employees when it lost a contract and twice offered to rehire the women but only one accepted the offer.