Ex-Nurse's 'Individualized, Idiosyncratic Religion' Claims Against COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate Allowed to Proceed, Judge Rules
"Here, the plaintiff has alleged that a core principle of being 'Pagan' is submitting to natural forces and refusing artificial medical aid," U.S. Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV wrote. "She has asserted that the mRNA technology used to develop some of the COVID-19 vaccines makes them unnatural and impermissible, as distinct from the virus-derived annual flu vaccine. That asserted connection is sufficient to support a plausible claim that accepting at least some of the COVID-19 vaccines would violate a tenet of her idiosyncratic religion."
September 18, 2024 at 11:14 AM
4 minute read
Employment LawA former nurse's complaint of religious discrimination against the Boston Medical Center for opposing the COVID-19 vaccine can continue, a federal judge held Tuesday, determining that her "individualized and idiosyncratic" form of Paganism constitutes a religious belief, rather than a personal or medical stance.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllHospital Succeeds in Denying Vaccine Religious Accommodation Through 'Undue Hardship' Defense
'A Template' for Religious Accommodation: Attorney Gives Insight to $12M Win Over Employer's COVID-19 Vaccination Policies
Federal Judge Sends Novel Damages Question in Employment Dispute to State Court
5 minute readNLRB Bans 'Captive Audience' Meetings, Yanking Away Platform Employers Used to Combat Unionizing
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Dallas Jury Awards $98.65M in Botham Jean Killing by Dallas Officer
- 2In Talc Bankruptcy, Andy Birchfield Skipped His Deposition. Could He Face Sanctions?
- 3Pharmaceutical Patents: Benefits and Challenges
- 4Where Do Web-Tracking Class Actions Belong? 8th Circuit Weighs the Issue
- 5While Data Breaches May Lead to Years of Legal Battles, Cyberattacks Can be Prevented
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250