A U.S. federal district court in Fayetteville, Arkansas, ruled for a Seventh-day Adventist who sought accommodation for his Sabbath-keeping beliefs. The worker was awarded $311,166.75 in lost wages and punitive damages. It is believed to be one of the few such cases in which punitive damages—designed to "reform or deter the defendant," as one definition puts it—have been awarded to a Sabbath-keeper.

Todd Sturgill, age 41 and a resident of Springdale, Arkansas, was a 19-year driver for United Parcel Service when he joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in May of 2004. In July of that year, Sturgill asked his employer for accommodation on Friday evenings during the upcoming holiday delivery season. After three months, Sturgill was told he would receive no accommodation.

Though Sturgill was happy to perform his job, his conviction about observing the biblical Sabbath on the seventh day of the week would not allow him to perform work during that time.

Despite these roadblocks, Sturgill was able to make arrangements with his coworkers to adjust his schedule and keep the Sabbath until Friday, Dec. 17, 2004. On that day, despite repeated requests for assistance and accommodation, managers at the firm took no steps to enable Sturgill to complete his work before sundown, and he returned to the UPS center with roughly 35 undelivered parcels, and then went home. He was fired the following Monday for what UPS called "job abandonment."