(LifeSiteNews) — A Christian employee at an IHOP in South Carolina won a religious liberty lawsuit after he was fired for refusing to work on Sundays. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the $40,000 settlement in a press release last week.

In January 2021, Eddie Moton Jr. was hired as a cook for the pancake-themed restaurant at its Charlotte location. Suncakes LLC, a Texas-based company, was operating the location as a franchise owner. Suncakes runs 16 other IHOPs in the state.

Moton was initially allowed to not work on Sundays due to his religious beliefs, but when new management took over in April 2021, he was fired after he said he couldn’t come in due to his faith.

“The general manager was also alleged to have made comments to other employees such as ‘religion should not take precedence over (the employee’s) job’ and that the employee supposedly ‘thinks it is more important to go to church than to pay his bills,’” the EEOC’s announcement says.

The EEOC filed a lawsuit on behalf of Moton in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in 2023. Its ruling was first announced in July.

As part of the settlement, Suncakes had to compensate Moton with back pay. It is also required to inform employees about the ruling and revise its policies so religious accommodations are approved. Managers are also mandated to undergo training so they will understand that the 1964 Civil Rights Act allows for religious liberties of employees.

The ruling is notable in that under Joe Biden the EEOC, like many other federal agencies, has adopted a woke attitude toward “diversity” and LGBT-related work complaints. Its X account also routinely expresses support for pro-homosexual and other liberal initiatives.