Federal Jury Awards $7M to Workers Denied Religious Accommodations for COVID Vaccine
A federal jury has awarded six San Francisco transit workers more than $7 million for reportedly being denied religious accommodations for COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic.
The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), a non-profit legal group, represented six former employees of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) who were reportedly fired for refusing the vaccinations.
In 2021, BART issued a "COVID-19 Vaccination Policy" requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment, KRON-TV reports.
The six employees asked for a religious exemption from that requirement but say they were denied accommodations despite the company granting other vaccine exemptions.
According to PJI, one employee was fired after working there for 30 years. Another was reportedly out on workers comp when they were let go.
A federal jury ruled Wednesday that BART failed to prove an undue hardship in denying accommodations to the employees.
Each worker was granted $1 million plus a year of wages totaling $7.8 million.
PJI is calling the jury's decision a "stunning blow" to Bay Area officials.
"These verdicts are seismic—a 7.8 San Francisco legal earthquake. This amazing outcome represents so much hard work by our team, perseverance by these clients, and fairness from our judicial system," said Brad Dacus, president of PJI.
Furthermore, the jury unanimously found that all of the employees had met their burden of showing a genuine conflict between their faith and the vaccine requirement.
Kevin Snider, who served as lead trial attorney, commented, "The rail employees chose to lose their livelihood rather than deny their faith. That in itself shows the sincerity and depth of their convictions. After nearly three years of struggle, these essential workers feel they were heard and understood by the jury and are overjoyed and relieved by the verdict."
PJI says it is representing hundreds of employees nationwide who lost their jobs after they sought and were denied religious accommodations to the COVID-19 vaccines.
"Of the 179 religious objector employees, not one received an accommodation. Exclusion of religious people from the enjoyment of a right stands in violation of the First Amendment's religion clauses and federal and state anti-discrimination in employment laws. 109 employees' requests for religious exemption were denied," PJI explained.
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