Christian finance expert Dave Ramsey is being sued by a former employee for religious discrimination. In the suit, Brad Amos is claiming that employees of Ramsey Solutions have been forced to abide by Ramsey’s religious beliefs about COVID-19, which is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Amos was reportedly fired for not reporting to work in person, due to his concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
Ramsey Solutions produces a wide array of resources and content offering financial advice, including books, articles, videos, and audio content.
Dave Ramsey became widely known as the creator of “Financial Peace University,” a curriculum about paying off debt and making wise financial decisions. The curriculum is used by churches all over the country, and many people who have followed Ramsey’s advice have gone on to pay off large debts, even into the hundreds of thousands.
Ramsey is also known for his gruff public persona and unwavering commitment to applying his beliefs to the work culture of his company. For example, he has often spoken about the “no gossip” policy at Ramsey Solutions. He has even recounted a story of how he let one employee go for coming to him with a repeated complaint about a supervisor, citing that while he agreed with her complaint, her disapproval of the supervisor was disrespectful to Ramsey as the one who hired him.
During the pandemic, Ramsey has applied that passion to fighting against what he believes to be government overreach with regard to public health mandates to slow the spread of COVID-19.
In March of 2020, Ramsey closed down the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions in Franklin, Tennessee for a period of five weeks. After that time, Ramsey reopened the office, requiring employees to report in person throughout the course of the pandemic, even despite an outbreak of over 50 cases of COVID-19 at the company in November 2020.
Ramsey has not required employees to wear masks while in the offices of Ramsey Solution and has remarked that wearing face coverings is a sign of fear and weakness. Ramsey also campaigned for the Medical Non-Discrimination Business and Consumer Act in Tennessee, which would amend the state’s non-discrimination laws to include the unvaccinated and those who refuse to wear face masks as protected groups when patronizing businesses.
Ramsey has indicated that his company would not comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and he has encouraged his listeners to resign from workplaces that would require them to be vaccinated, saying to one hospital nurse, “Quit the bad job with the bad people.”
Ramsey’s campaign against COVID-19 safety guidelines has caused internal division within Ramsey Solutions, but Ramsey has reportedly applied his “no gossip” rule to his handling of the pandemic. According to Religion News Service, Ramsey has threatened to fire employees who complained to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about how the company has handled COVID-19.
