W. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- A former Costco Wholesale worker who was fired in 2001 for refusing to remove her eyebrow ring has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her appeal.
Kimberly M. Cloutier, of West Springfield, said she wears her eyebrow ring as a sign of faith, and has accused Costco of religious discrimination. She has said she is a member of the Church of Body Modification.
The church, established in 1999, counts about 1,000 members who participate in practices such as piercing and tattooing, according to a December ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a trial judge's finding in Costco's favor.
Lynn A. Kappelman, a lawyer for Costco, declined to comment. The company has argued that Cloutier's beliefs are political or social instead of religious.
Cloutier's lawyer, Michael O. Shea, filed a petition Monday asking the Supreme Court to consider hearing the case. The court does not hear all such requests.
The Church of Concealed Weapons and Automatic Firearms is a nondenominational congregation that seeks to reach out to the honest, hard-working people of the world and teach the safe and responsible ownership and use of firearms in the defense of our families, friends and neighbors.
The Church's purpose is for our society to harmoniously return to its roots of personal freedom and individual liberty that have been long been cast aside by the forces of darkness.
