The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Cincinnati-based Mercy Health, alleging the health system fired a Jewish orthopedic surgeon because of his religion and race shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The lawsuit, filed Sept. 24, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, names Mercy Health Physicians Youngstown and Bon Secours Mercy Health as defendants. The EEOC alleges the organizations violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on religion and race.
According to the EEOC, the surgeon had a successful practice with Mercy Health for many years, performed well and exceeded productivity goals before he was fired. The agency alleges he was subjected to antisemitic remarks throughout his employment and that the harassment intensified after the attack.
“After years of antisemitic harassment, shortly after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the charging party faced a barrage of comments in the workplace blaming ‘the Jews’ for the attack. He was also excluded from scheduled meetings and had his surgery time blocks reduced. Shortly thereafter, he was terminated and told it was for ‘no reason,'” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in a Sept. 24 news release.
The surgeon, who is not named in the release, was fired in November 2023. The EEOC said it first tried to reach a pre-litigation settlement with Mercy Health through its administrative conciliation process before filing the lawsuit. The case was brought by the agency’s Cleveland Field Office, which falls under its Philadelphia District Office.
Ms. Lucas framed the case as part of the agency’s broader enforcement posture on antisemitism in the workplace.
“The EEOC will not hesitate to bring litigation to protect Jewish workers from unlawful discrimination and ensure they do not face adverse action simply because they are Jewish. Antisemitism has no place in the American workplace,” she said.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, a Bon Secours Mercy Health spokesperson said that the Catholic system “[welcomes] individuals of all faiths and backgrounds who help us advance our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our communities. No further information will be provided as we do not discuss pending litigation.”
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