A devout Catholic woman wins nearly $13 million in discrimination lawsuit alleging she was fired in 2022 for refusing to comply with her company's COVID-19 vaccination requirements as a violation of her religion. did.
Lisa Domsky, an IT specialist at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), worked for the company for a total of nearly 40 years before the nonprofit was canned after failing to get the jab.
BCBSM implemented a mandatory employee vaccination policy in October 2021, requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they request a religious or medical accommodation.
The company has given all employees until December 8, 2021 to comply with this obligation.
According to one source, Mr. Domsky's request was denied even though the employee followed the proper channels provided by BCBSM to apply for a religious exemption. discrimination lawsuit Originally obtained by The Epoch Times.
Domski, a devout Catholic from Wyandotte, Michigan, decided not to get vaccinated because she believed the vaccines in circulation at the time were being tested or developed using fetal cells obtained from abortions. refused. The Catholic Herald reported.
After refusing the request, BCBSM allegedly threatened to fire the long-time employee if he did not comply with the order.
Domsky still refused and was finally fired on Jan. 5, 2022, after nearly a month of unpaid leave, according to the lawsuit filed in August 2023 in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan.
She was one of about 250 employees fired by the company after requesting a religious exemption from duty.
The company argued in court filings that Mr. Domsky lacked sincere religious beliefs.
Domsky transitioned to being a full-time remote worker during the pandemic, and was already working from home for 75% of her work before the pandemic hit in 2020.
The company claimed it did not know about Domski's religion, even though his petition included contact information for the priest and parish.
According to the complaint, BCBSM conducted a series of interviews with all employees who requested relief from duty, but the process was “arbitrary and grossly inconsistent.”
Mr. Domsky's attorney questioned why the company would require employees working entirely from home to be vaccinated when customers and contractors on the premises would need to be vaccinated.
“This was a woman who worked out of a basement office in her home, posed no threat to anyone, and perfectly fulfilled all her job duties for 38 years.” John Marco told Fox News.
“They decided to discriminate against people with sincere religious beliefs,” he added.
A jury in Detroit federal court found in Domski's favor and awarded her a total of $12.69 million in damages.
Of the approximately $13 million received, $10 million was marked as “punitive damages,” approximately $1.7 million was recorded as lost wages, and an additional $1 million was recorded as non-economic damages.
BCBSM denied any discrimination against Domski and was considering the option of appealing after the verdict.
“Blue Cross respects the jury process and appreciates the hard work of the individual jurors, but we are disappointed with this verdict,” the health insurance company said. “Blue Cross is considering its legal options and will make a decision on its future course in the coming days.”
Marco praised the court's decision, calling it a “huge victory” that “sets a strong precedent as similar cases continue to arise across the country.” he said on Facebook.
