20.8 C
Auckland
Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Popular Now

Detroit jury awards $12m to worker fired for refusing COVID jab on religious grounds

A Detroit federal jury awarded over $12 million on Friday to Lisa Domski, a longtime Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee, after she claimed she was wrongfully terminated for refusing a COVID-19 vaccination on religious grounds.

The verdict included $10 million in punitive damages against Blue Cross, with the remaining amount covering lost wages and emotional distress.

Domski, who had worked at the insurance company for more than 30 years, argued that Blue Cross discriminated against her by denying a religious exemption to the company’s vaccine mandate.

Her attorney Jon Marko argued that Domski, a Catholic, believed the mandate contradicted her religious convictions.

During the pandemic, Domski worked fully remotely as an IT specialist, a role her attorney noted posed no risk to colleagues.

In addition to punitive damages, the jury awarded Domski approximately $1.7 million in lost pay and $1 million for non-economic damages.

Blue Cross, however, denied any discrimination, stating in earlier court documents that Domski did not have a “sincerely held religious belief” opposing the vaccine.

In a post-verdict statement the insurer said it was disappointed by the result adding, “While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict.” The company stated it is reviewing its legal options and considering an appeal.

Promoted Content

No login required to comment. Name, email and web site fields are optional. Please keep comments respectful, civil and constructive. Moderation times can vary from a few minutes to a few hours. Comments may also be scanned periodically by Artificial Intelligence to eliminate trolls and spam.

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest

Trending

Sport

Daily Life

Opinion

Wellington
scattered clouds
20.8 ° C
20.8 °
20.8 °
46 %
9.8kmh
27 %
Tue
20 °
Wed
18 °
Thu
18 °
Fri
18 °
Sat
19 °