Saint Thomas Health is facing a lawsuit after the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says the Murfreesboro hospital violated federal law by firing a worker for not taking a flu shot due to his religious beliefs.

The lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 28, says Saint Thomas Health, which operates Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, required all workers to have an annual flu shot, including TouchPoint Support Services employees.

TouchPoint provides food and environmental services at the hospital. In past years, a TouchPoint employee was allowed to wear a protective mask in place of a flu shot in 2013 and 2014 because of his religious beliefs, the lawsuit says.

The employee, a member of the Moorish Science Temple of America, believes his religion requires him to rely on natural medicine. He was hired in February 2012 as a floor tech where he cleaned floors, did maintenance and took out the trash at the hospital.

When he requested to forego a flu shot in 2015, Saint Thomas Health denied his request.

After refusing the flu shot, the employee was fired on Nov. 30, 2015, according to the lawsuit.

Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital didn't immediately respond to comment on the lawsuit.

"For several years, STH accommodated the employee's religious belief," said Delner Franklin-Thomas, director of the EEOC's Memphis District Office. "Then, STH refused to accommodate his religious belief. An employer should not force an employee to choose between employment and his religious belief unless doing so would cause an undue hardship to the employer."

The EEOC says this violates parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991, which prohibits employers from denying reasonable accommodation of an employee's sincerely held religious beliefs.

The lawsuit was filed after first attempting to reach a settlement through its conciliation process. According to the lawsuit, Saint Thomas Health was unable to provide a conciliation agreement acceptable to the EEOC.

The EEOC is seeking backpay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief prohibiting Saint Thomas Health from denying religious accommodations in the future.

Reach Brinley Hineman at bhineman@gannett.com or 615-278-5164 and on Twitter @brinleyhineman.