Lawsuit: Oregon construction worker fired for refusing to attend Bible study

A 34-year-old man has filed an $800,000 lawsuit against a Albany construction company, claiming the owner fired him after he refused to attend weekly Bible study.

Ryan Coleman’s lawsuit states that he discovered only after he was hired as a painter for Dahled Up Construction that the job entailed more than just fixing up homes. According to Coleman and his lawsuit, owner Joel Dahl told him all employees were required to partake in regular Bible study sessions led by a Christian pastor during the work day, while on the clock.

Coleman told Dahl that the requirement was illegal, but Dahl wouldn’t budge, according to the lawsuit. In order to keep his job, Coleman obliged for nearly six months but ultimately told Dahl he couldn’t go, the suit says.

“I said ‘I’ve kept an open mind, and it’s just not my thing.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m going to have to replace you,'” Coleman told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

“He said ‘You’re not going to tell me how to run my own company,’” Coleman continued. “I said ‘I’m not trying to tell you how to run your own company, but you’re not going to tell me what god to pray to.’”

Coleman said his religious beliefs are indigenous: He’s half Caucasian and half Native American, with Cherokee and Blackfoot heritage.

Coleman worked for the small construction company from October 2017 to this past April, when he was fired, the suit states.

“This is so illegal,” said Corinne Schram, a Portland attorney representing Coleman. “Unless you are a religious organization like a church, you cannot force your employees to participate in religious activities.”

Dahl's Albany attorney, Kent Hickam, doesn't dispute that Dahl requires all of his employees to attend Bible study, but says it’s legal because Dahl pays them to attend.

“Mr. Dahl feels that it’s unfortunate that he (Coleman) is now trying to exploit Mr. Dahl’s honorable intentions for unjustified financial gain,” Hickman said.

Dahl told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he’d struggled with drugs and alcohol and served time in prison for attempted second-degree assault. He said he’s been clean and sober for seven years. He started his company in 2016, with the idea of helping other convicted felons or people who’ve battled addictions rebuild their lives.

“I’m a second-chance employer,” Dahl said. (Joel Dahl says he’s not related to another second-chance employer, Dave Dahl of Dave’s Killer Bread.)

God is a big part of Joel Dahl’s life. The company's Facebook page features photos of recently completed home remodels -- often alongside praise to God or Jesus.

After stripping a 106-year-old home down to the studs and renovating it to look brand new, one post states: “Fixing up this old house at times I was discouraged ‘cause there was so much to fix. But Me and God did this together and we got er done.”

Another post expresses gratitude for the work that has come to Dahled Up Construction: "Just finished these 2 roofs ... Look at God go. He is so awesome.”

Coleman said he’s served prison time for delivery of methamphetamine and child neglect but has now been clean and sober for nearly four years. Earlier this week, he won back full custody of his two children, he said.

Coleman’s past left him fearful that he wouldn’t be able to find other work, so he said stuck with the weekly, hourlong Bible study sessions for six months, until he took a stance and said he wouldn’t go.

The lawsuit was filed last week in Linn County Circuit Court. Read the lawsuit here.