ATLANTA — The doctor hired to lead North Georgia’s Public Health Department, but then fired before he started, has filed a federal complaint claiming he lost that job because of his religious beliefs.
Dr. Eric Walsh claims the state fired him because videos surfaced of some controversial sermons he preached as a lay minister in California.
In one video, he called homosexuality a “doctrine from the pits of hell” and referred to the theory of evolution as a “satanic belief.” The videos sparked criticism from AIDS activists.
“I was shocked at what happened,” said Walsh from his attorney’s office. “I didn’t know in the United States of America that something like this could happen when your work record is stellar.”
Walsh and his attorneys, Jeremy Dys and Andy Kaufman, announced they filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming religious discrimination.
Walsh claimed he met with Georgia Public Health officials three times and was offered the director’s job. But after the videos surfaced, he said the job offer was rescinded.
“If what you say in church is going to be held accountable by your employer and is going to come up on your annual review, then we’ve got real problems in this country,” said Dys. “It is illegal in this country to fire someone because of their faith. That’s what the Georgia Public Health Department has done."
In a statement, the Georgia Department of Public Health wrote it “withdrew Dr. Eric Walsh’s conditional offer of employment in May 2014 for reasons entirely unrelated to his beliefs. DPH will respond to the EEOC complaint as soon as possible.”
WSBTV
