Silver Cross Hospital violated federal law in 2021 when it discharged an employee who sought an exemption based on religious beliefs from being vaccinated against COVID-19, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges in a lawsuit.

The EEOC issued a news release announcing the lawsuit against the New Lenox hospital.

A certified surgical technologist sought an accommodation from a COVID-19 vaccination mandate at the hospital in August 2021 “because of her Christian beliefs,” according to the EEOC release.

“The hospital denied her request for an accommodation, and retaliated by terminating her employment in November 2021, even though she could have been accommodated without undue hardship,” according to the EEOC release.

A Silver Cross spokeswoman did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

The lawsuit alleges that Silver Cross violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, “which prohibits discrimination because of religion as well as retaliation for complaining about it,” according to the release.

“These protections are a core safeguard of federal civil rights law,” Catherine Eschbach, acting general counsel for the EEOC, said in the release. “Where an accommodation can be provided without undue hardship, the law requires it. Unfortunately, that did not occur in this case.”

The lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois after an attempt to reach a settlement, according to the release.

The EEOC is seeking compensatory and punitive monetary damages for the employee, along with “injunctive relief to prevent such unlawful conduct in the future,” according to the release.