The first settlement in the United States has been reached in a lawsuit filed by medical staff regarding a coronavirus vaccine mandate by an Illinois university system.
Per The Center Square:
Chicago-based NorthShore University HealthSystem has agreed to pay more than 500 current and former health-care workers a total of $10,337,500 as part of the terms of the settlement. It’s also changing its policy to accommodate religious exemption requests and rehiring former employees who were fired or forced to resign whose exemption requests were denied.
Represented by the nonprofit religious freedom organization Liberty Counsel, NorthShore employees sued, alleging they were discriminated against because they were denied religious exemptions from the company’s vaccine mandate. The settlement was filed Friday in the federal Northern District Court of Illinois.
Chicago. Huge news. Health care workers win $10.3 million settlement over Covid vaccine mandates.https://t.co/5XndVLA7b5
— James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) July 31, 2022
Liberty Counsel said in a press release the settlement must be approved by the federal district court.
The group added that anyone who was denied the right of a religious exemption would be given the opportunity to "comment, object, ask to opt-out, or submit a claim form for payment from its fund."
“NorthShore will also change its unlawful ‘no religious accommodations’ policy to make it consistent with the law, and to provide religious accommodations in every position across its numerous facilities,” Liberty Counsel said.
Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel addressed the settlement, labeling it “a wake-up call to every employer that did not accommodate or exempt employees who opposed the COVID shots for religious reasons.”
“Let this case be a warning to employers that violated Title VII. It is especially significant and gratifying that this first classwide COVID settlement protects health care workers,” Staver concluded.
Liberty Counsel took to Twitter to label this as a "HISTORIC WIN FOR MEDICAL FREEDOM."
HISTORIC WIN FOR MEDICAL FREEDOM!
Health care workers win $10.3 MILLION settlement in class action lawsuit over COVID shot mandate. https://t.co/MdkUdndAYw— Liberty Counsel (@libertycounsel) July 29, 2022
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