Devout Catholic worker fired for not getting COVID shot wins over $12M in religious discrimination suit
A devout Catholic was awarded nearly $13 million in a discrimination lawsuit claiming she was fired in 2022 for refusing to follow her company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate as it was against her religion.Lisa Domski, an IT specialist for the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), had worked for the company for a combined total of nearly 40 years before the non-profit canned her for not getting the jab.BCBSM implemented a mandatory vaccination policy for its employees in Oct.2021, requiring all staff to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 unless they apply for religious or medical accommodations.The company gave all employees until Dec.
8, 2021, to adhere to the mandate.Despite following the appropriate channels provided by BCBSM for employees to file for a religious exemption, Domski’s request was denied, according to a discrimination lawsuit initially obtained by the Epoch Times.Domski, a devoted Catholic from Wyandotte, Michigan, declined the shots because she believed the vaccines that were in circulation at the time were either tested or developed using fetal cells that were obtained from abortions, the Catholic Herald reported.After denying the request, BCBSM allegedly threatened their longtime employee with termination if she didn’t comply to the mandate.Domski still refused and was ultimately fired on Jan.5, 2022, following a nearly month-long unpaid leave of absence, according to the suit filed in the US District Court of Eastern Michigan in Aug.
2023.She was among nearly 250 employees fired by the company after requesting a religious exemption to the mandate.The company claimed in court filings that Domski lacked a sincerely held religious belief.Domski had transitioned to a full-time remote worker during the pandemic and had already been working 75% of her job from home before the pandemic hit in 2020.The company claimed to have been unaware of Domski’s religion despite her petition containing the contact information for her priest and parish.BCB...