Mayo Clinic discriminated against a security guard by effectively forcing him to get a COVID-19 shot despite his religious beliefs, federal employment regulators claim.

Citing his Pentecostal faith, Cody Schultz asked Mayo in 2021 to exempt him from its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, according to a suit filed Wednesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Mayo rejected his exemption request and threatened to fire him if he didn’t get the shot, according to a suit filed Wednesday by the EEOC.

The Rochester, Minnesota-based clinic compelled Schultz to get the vaccine or lose his job, violating his “religious observance” and breaking federal law, the suit said. Schultz worked at Mayo’s “site” in Rochester, the complaint says.

Mayo Clinic declined to comment on the pending litigation.

EEOC complaints over religious discrimination in the workplace have increased in recent years, including fallout from COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

All manner of employers, but particularly health care providers, rolled out vaccine mandates as the pandemic raged, aiming to protect employees, customers and patients.

Mayo implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all of its employees in December 2021, which applied unless the employee received a medical or religious exemption.

Schultz asked for a religious exemption, telling Mayo he belonged to the Assemblies of God Church, which emphasizes the Pentecostal doctrine of “divine healing,” the suit said.

Schultz believes that his body “is the Temple of the Holy Spirit” and the vaccine contained certain ingredients that were inconsistent with his religious beliefs. He cited several Bible passages to support his position.

Mayo responded that Schultz didn’t meet the criteria for a religious exemption. The clinic rejected the security guard’s reconsideration request and told him he would lose his job without the shot.

Schultz filed a complaint against Mayo with state human rights regulators and the EEOC.

In April, the EEOC notified Mayo it had found “reasonable cause” that the clinic had violated federal civil rights law. Conciliation efforts failed, the EEOC claimed.

The EEOC is asking for a federal court order prohibiting Mayo from “denying reasonable accommodations to employees with sincerely held religious beliefs.” The commission is also asking that Schultz be compensated for monetary and non-monetary losses — and awarded punitive damages.

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