ERIE — A former teacher with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg alleges he was fired for being in a same-sex marriage.
Kenneth Ference filed a complaint June 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg alleging civil rights violations.
Ference, according to his complaint, began working for the Diocese at Aquinas Academy as a sixth-grade teacher in August of 2021. He claims that in September of 2021, he was terminated due to being in a same-sex relationship.
Ference alleges that just prior to his termination, he had completed a form to waive his group medical insurance stating that he was "covered under his husband's insurance." He further alleges due to being Lutheran, that while employed at Aquinas, his job duties were entirely secular. Ference claims as a result of the Diocese's discrimination, he suffered emotional distress and economic damages and that the Diocese violated his Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Ference seeks monetary relief, interest and all other just relief. He is represented by Nicholas Kennedy of The Quatrini Law Group in Greensburg.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania case number 2:22-CV-00797-MPK