Hill to die on? Christian refused to be fingerprinted due to Christian faith

Lawsuit: Twin Cities man says he was fired for refusing to be fingerprinted due to Christian faith

AscensionPoint Recovery Services, a company with operations in Coon Rapids and St. Louis Park that manages debt recovery for creditors, was sued Thursday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Henry Harrington, of Mound. AscensionPoint had requested that its employees be fingerprinted as a result of a background check requirement of one of its clients, according to the EEOC. Harrington, 37, informed AscensionPoint in July 2017 that having his fingerprints captured was contrary to his Christian practices, and he was fired that day from his job in St. Louis Park, the federal agency said. AscensionPoint acted without asking the client whether an exemption was available as a religious accommodation, the suit alleges, and even though alternatives to fingerprinting were available. Harrington declined Friday to be more specific about which faith within Christianity he practices or field other questions about his suit. A message was left with AscensionPoint management seeking a response to the suit.