March 26, 2026, 1:08 p.m. ET
- A former Heine Brothers Coffee employee filed a federal discrimination complaint, claiming she was fired for discussing her Christian beliefs.
- The employee, Paige Rogers, alleges she was questioned by co-workers about her faith before sharing her views on sin and same-sex relationships.
- Heine Brothers Coffee initially cited violation of its respectful workplace policy for the termination, then later cited other performance issues.
A former Heine Brothers Coffee employee claims she was fired for talking about her Christian beliefs at work after being asked about them by two co-workers, according to a federal discrimination complaint filed March 24.
The complaint comes as other allegations of religious discrimination receive national attention, including accusations against an instructor at the University of Oklahoma who was removed after she gave a failing grade to a student who cited her religious beliefs in an essay about gender rights, according to USA TODAY.
Mike Mays, co-founder of Heine Brothers Coffee, did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit legal organization focused on religious freedom, and the law firm Sturgill Turner filed the charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Paige Rogers, a sophomore at Boyce College in Louisville. In the complaint, Rogers alleges she was fired from Heine Brothers in October 2025 after sharing her views on marriage and same-sex relationships with her fellow employees during a shift on Oct. 1.
“I worked a 4-hour closing shift with two coworkers who I had not worked with before,” Rogers wrote. “During this shift, my co-workers asked me about my religious beliefs, and I answered respectfully and honestly.”
After disclosing she attended the Christian college, Rogers said someone asked if she was waiting until marriage to have sex, which made her uncomfortable. She said her co-workers continued to ask her questions about her religious beliefs throughout the shift, which prompted her to share “how God had saved me and changed my life.” In response, a co-worker asked Rogers if she would have to stop loving her two romantic partners if she became a Christian, the complaint states.
“I respectfully shared my belief that homosexuality is a sin but that we are all sinners, and it is never our place to judge someone else,” she wrote.
The complaint states that after working a few more shifts, Rogers received a notice of termination over text on Oct. 13, 2025, a day she was originally scheduled to work. A redacted copy of the text message, which does not identify its sender, attached in the complaint stated that Rogers violated the company’s policies regarding respectful workplace conduct and anti-discrimination.
“It was reported and confirmed that you engaged in conversations in the workplace where you expressed religious beliefs in a manner that was unwelcome and offensive to others,” the text stated. “These conversations created discomfort among team members and contributed to a work environment inconsistent with our company values and code of conduct.”
In response, Rogers wrote by text that she did not start the conversation about religion and that her co-workers prompted her by asking her questions. In a separate message, Rogers said she would “love to get some more details and information before I take this to consult with a lawyer.”
On Oct. 16, Rogers received an email from an unidentified individual in management who said her termination was based on “concerns regarding communication, frequent call-ins, and limited availability that impacted scheduling needs,” according to the complaint.
Cliff Martin, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, said the organization sent a letter to Heine Brothers Coffee demanding the company preserve any evidence and did not hear back.
“We don’t know what their legal stance is, but they have not attempted to truly make good on this and we are unaware what action was taken by them to investigate … whether anyone else was making Paige feel uncomfortable,” he said. “They only focused on Paige’s behavior and her beliefs, and they terminated her immediately.”
Martin says he hopes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission chooses to move forward with an investigation and take action.
“This is just a religious employee expressing her beliefs when she was asked about them,” he said. “That’s plainly religious discrimination.”
This story may be updated.
