IN RESPONSE. LET’S MEET JERRY AND LORI. SO A LAWSUIT FILED THIS WEEK IN DAUPHIN COUNTY MIDDLE DISTRICT COURT ALLEGES A WOMAN FROM LEBANON COUNTY WAS SUSPENDED AFTER SHE REFUSED TO ESCORT A TRANSGENDER WOMAN TO A WOMEN’S LOCKER ROOM AT A SPA. SO IN HER LAWSUIT CLAIMS SHE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE ESCORTING WHO SHE REFERS TO AS A BIOLOGICAL MALE TO THE LOCKER ROOM AT THE SPA. THE SPA CUSTOMER IN QUESTION WAS NOT NAMED, BUT WAS LABELED A HIGH PROFILE TRANSGENDER POLITICAL FIGURE. THE SUIT CLAIMS THAT THE ACTIONS BY HER CO VIOLATE THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, WHICH PROHIBITS RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION AND REQUIRES EMPLOYERS TO ACCOMMODATE WORKERS RELIGIOUS PRACTICES. NOW, SELLERS IS NAMED IN THE LAWSUIT. AS A CHRISTIAN, WHEN SHE REFUSED TO ESCORT THE CUSTOMER, SELLERS CLAIMED SHE WAS WRITTEN UP AND SUSPENDED FROM HER SCHEDULED SHIFT THAT DAY WITHOUT PAY, WITH AN HR REP FOR THE COMPANY ALLEGEDLY TELLING HER, QUOTE, HERSHEY WANTS YOU TO LEAVE YOUR PERSONAL, RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BELIEFS AT THE DOOR. NOW, IN A STATEMENT SENT TO NEWS EIGHT TODAY, THOUGH, HERSHEY ENTERTAINMENT RESORTS CHALLENGED THOSE CLAIMS. THEY SAY THAT WHILE THEY TYPICALLY DO NOT DISCUSS SPECIFIC DETAILS OF INDIVIDUAL PERSONNEL MATTERS, THEY SAY THERE ARE CLEAR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED AND WHAT WAS DOCUMENTED ON THEIR END. THEY SAY IN PART, QUOTE THIS NO RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION WAS REQUESTED BEFORE OR DURING THE SPA SERVICE, AND THE TEAM MEMBER DID NOT INDICATE SHE COULD NOT ASSIST THE GUESTS FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS. THE COMPANY SAYS THEY ASKED THE EMPLOYEE, WHO STILL HAS HER JOB, TO SORT OUT, TO FILL OUT A
Hershey employee sues over suspension in civil rights dispute
Updated: 5:54 PM EDT Oct 23, 2025
Jeriah Sellers, an employee of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, has filed a lawsuit in Dauphin County Middle District Court, alleging she was suspended after refusing to escort a transgender woman to a women’s locker room at The Melt Spa.Sellers claims she was uncomfortable escorting what she referred to as a “biological male” to the locker room. The spa customer was described in the lawsuit as a “high profile transgender political figure,” though not named.The lawsuit claims Hershey Entertainment and Resorts violated the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to accommodate workers’ religious practices.Sellers, who identifies as a Christian, alleges she was written up and suspended from her scheduled shift without pay, with a human resources representative allegedly telling her, “Hershey wants you to leave your personal, religious, and political beliefs at the door.”In response, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts issued a statement challenging the claims. The company stated that while they typically do not discuss specific personnel matters, there are clear differences between what has been reported and what was documented on their end.They said, “No religious accommodation was requested before or during the spa service, and the team member did not indicate she could not assist the guest for religious reasons.”The company also noted that Sellers, who still holds her job, was asked to fill out a religious accommodation form, which she has not done as of now.
Jeriah Sellers, an employee of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, has filed a lawsuit in Dauphin County Middle District Court, alleging she was suspended after refusing to escort a transgender woman to a women’s locker room at The Melt Spa.
Sellers claims she was uncomfortable escorting what she referred to as a “biological male” to the locker room. The spa customer was described in the lawsuit as a “high profile transgender political figure,” though not named.
The lawsuit claims Hershey Entertainment and Resorts violated the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to accommodate workers’ religious practices.
Sellers, who identifies as a Christian, alleges she was written up and suspended from her scheduled shift without pay, with a human resources representative allegedly telling her, “Hershey wants you to leave your personal, religious, and political beliefs at the door.”
In response, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts issued a statement challenging the claims. The company stated that while they typically do not discuss specific personnel matters, there are clear differences between what has been reported and what was documented on their end.
They said, “No religious accommodation was requested before or during the spa service, and the team member did not indicate she could not assist the guest for religious reasons.”
The company also noted that Sellers, who still holds her job, was asked to fill out a religious accommodation form, which she has not done as of now.