A former Blue Cross Blue Shield employee was recently awarded $12 million by a federal jury in Detroit when she sued the insurance company for religious discrimination. Lisa Domski had worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield for almost 40 years when she was denied a religious exemption to the employee COVID-19 shot mandate.1 2
Although Domski informed her employer that her Catholic faith prevented her from complying with the vaccine mandate, Blue Cross Blue Shield never followed up with her or her priest to confirm her devout religious beliefs.3 The insurance company refused to grant her any accommodations as required under Title VII and fired her.
Shot Required for Employees Working from Home
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, protects employees from religious discrimination in the workplace. Employees who inform their employer that their sincerely held religious beliefs prevent them from complying with a mandatory work requirement are protected from discrimination and retaliation in the workplace under Title VII. Employers have an affirmative obligation to seriously consider the request, enter into good faith talks and offer appropriate accommodations.4
In this case, Domski, an IT specialist, worked remotely 75 percent of the time prior to 2020 and 100 percent of the time during the pandemic. Rather than allowing Domski to continue to work remotely 100 percent of the time, the insurance refused to provide her any accommodations for her religious beliefs and fired her.
Jon Marko, Domski’s attorney, explained:
This was a woman who was working from home in her basement office who wasn’t a threat to anybody and was completely fulfilling all of her job obligations for 38 years.5
Blue Cross Blue Shield denied any religious discrimination and questioned the sincerity of Domski’s religious beliefs. The jury awarded Domski $10 million in punitive damages together with $1.7 million in lost wages and $1 million in noneconomic damages.6
Blue Cross Blue Shield’s statement in response to the extraordinary verdict read:
Throughout the pandemic, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, together with its employees, worked to promote the health and safety of our colleagues, stakeholders, and communities.7
Jon Marko said:
Our forefathers fought and died for the freedom for each American to practice his or her own religion. Neither the government nor a corporation has a right to force an individual to choose between his or her career and conscience. Lisa refused to renounce her faith and beliefs and was wrongfully terminated from the only job she had ever known. The jury’s verdict today tells BCBSM that religious discrimination has no place in America and affirms each person’s right to religious freedom.8
More Religious Discrimination Lawsuits to Follow for Blue Cross Blue Shield
Tanja Benton, another remote employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield was also recently awarded $700,000 by a federal court in Tennessee after being fired by the insurance company for refusing to comply with their COVID shot mandate due to her religious beliefs. Jon Marko shared that he is representing 170 other plaintiffs in wrongful termination cases against Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan.9
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Click here to view References:1 Adeosum A. Woman Fired For Refusing Covid Vaccine Wins Record $12 Million. Newsweek Nov. 10, 2024.
2 Halon Y. Catholic woman fired for refusing COVID vaccine wins over $12M in Michigan court. Fox News Nov. 11, 2024.
3 Adeosum A. Woman Fired For Refusing Covid Vaccine Wins Record $12 Million. Newsweek Nov. 10, 2024.
4 Hendler C. 1964 Civil rights Act protects Some healthcare Workers with Religious Objections to employer Flu Shot Mandates. National Vaccine Information Center Aug. 22, 2019.
5 Halon Y. Catholic woman fired for refusing COVID vaccine wins over $12M in Michigan court. Fox News Nov. 11, 2024.
6 Ibid.
7 Halon Y. Catholic woman fired for refusing COVID vaccine wins over $12M in Michigan court. Fox News Nov. 11, 2024.
8 Booth-Singleton D. Former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee who refused COVID-19 vaccine awarded $13 million. CBS News Nov. 8, 2024.
9 Halon Y. Catholic woman fired for refusing COVID vaccine wins over $12M in Michigan court. Fox News Nov. 11, 2024.
6 Responses
This is wonderful news! I hope all that had their rights denied win these cases. As far as my understanding, no one has the right to deny any religious exemption. A religious exemption can be something as simple as “God does not support me injecting that into my body”. No one knows someone’s relationship with God, they don’t necessarily need to belong to a religious group to be religious either. God bless us all.
And when do the rest of us get compensation or relief from a corrupt system which could impose these mandates in the first place? What about the millions of others whom were fired or walked away but could not afford lawyers?
The entire system which allows coercion of this manner is the problem. In some states these companies would have had no choice but to accept every last persons voluntary refusal and they would not have been allowed to question anyone, there would have been no need for ‘approving opt outs’ in the first place.
No amount of financial compensation is satisfactory.
The irony of pleading for a religious exemption when the very nature of religion is self determination. Apparently the irony is lost on the masses, having long since become acclimated to a never ending stream of propaganda.
Catholic, or any other type of faith, is not what this issue is about. The issue is about the right of individuals to make their own choices free of coercion and penalty.
Thank you, very well stated! As a native Coloradoan it’s been a privilege to encounter others in this state speaking wisely and eloquently on this matter.
Thank you. The Vaccine Reaction and NVIC group changed our lives. Because without these vital resources we would have been unlikely to successfully navigate vaccination opt outs for ourselves or our children.
Been hearing this same routine my entire life; how we have to accept vaccines as settled science and if we refuse we’re bad people, a justification to ostracize us and discriminate against our children. We’ve lived a lifetime of reduced societal benefit for having opted out all this time. It is however somewhat relieving to see that more people are coming around to an understanding they have a choice, and that choice is nobody elses business.
We can not inject health. And the people feverishly pushing vaccines are nothing short of a modern day religious book thumpers or some other form of radical zealot. When people blindly believe anything, that’s when intelligent people need to step back, reconsider, and opt out until things calm down.
Personally we opted out long before we became as well informed about health related issues. That’s because we’re constitutional liberty supporters. Which means we want to live in a voluntary society and people should never apply the use of force to compel other peoples actions.
That’s the line which anyone can understand and easily recognize. The line between right and wrong; The use of force principal. Because good ideas and beneficial inventions or products are eventually voluntarily embraced by the people and become ubiquitous to our society and lives. People will take their hard earned money out of their own pockets and voluntarily support something or someone. While contrived applications which are not beneficial often have to be delivered by imperial decree and threat of harm or penalty; aka coercive compelling mandates. Also known as taxation and government spending.
Such is the difference between free people living in a free society, vs subjugated people living under authoritarian dictatorial rule. The vaccine issue, associated mandates, and denial of access speaks to the heart of important and larger societal issues our state, our country, and the world in general now faces. These systems and corporations have become so monolithic and powerful, they have subverted representative governance and eroded everyone’s inalienable rights. Self proclaimed gods, anointed by their own hands as care takers of the people, wiser than the rest. However, we did not get to vote on the matter and that’s where the heart of the problem lies. And even if their was a vote, any law or rule which intrudes on peoples own self determination is constitutionally odious and invalid in the first place. Central planning never works.
Here is a quote speaking to the matter which they play on my favorite radio station; AM 1360 KHNC / “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
― C. S. Lewis
information specialist.
surprise not a static numbers person.
insurance company hire many math majors to predict their cost. she knew, they knew vaccine make people 🤢 sick. and sick people are more profitable.
Michigan’s tyrannical Governor Whitmer should be forced to personally pay this judgement.