The City of Seattle has quietly paid $875,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Marina Shinderuk, a former 911 police communications supervisor. Shinderuk was terminated in 2021 after declining the COVID-19 shot despite having received a religious exemption from the city.1
Shinderuk had worked for the 911 center for more than 14 years as a telecommunicator. When the city of Seattle issued its COVID shot mandate for all city employees, she applied for a religious exemption which was granted.2
Seattle’s COVID shot mandate, issued in 2021, required all city employees to get the controversial shot as a condition of employment. Shinderuk applied for and received a religious exemption to the mandate. Following that approval, city officials initially discussed accommodations such as masking, weekly testing, or relocation. However, Shinderuk was ultimately terminated on the basis that she failed to meet in-person work requirements and posed operational challenges.3
Initially, the city offered accommodations such as masking, regular testing, and the possibility of working from home. But within five weeks, Seattle rescinded those accommodations and terminated her employment. The long- time employee was told that she was not compliant with the COVD shot mandate. A single mother of three children, Shinderuk was suddenly left without a pay check, healthcare and her pension.4
Shineruk said:
I remember when it got approved at the end of September, I got this huge sense of relief, like, ‘Oh, okay, I don’t have to worry about it’. Thank God, you know, literally, because I’ve been praying about it a lot, and it was a big weight on me. So then only a couple weeks later, to be told, ‘Oh yeah, tomorrow’s your last day. ‘That’s it. It was just, it was surreal.5
A ”bombshell investigative report” has revealed that top officials among Seattle city employees agreed that there would be no religious exemptions granted to the COVID shot mandate. During an Oct. 13, 2021 meeting of Seattle department heads, Adrienne Thompson, senior advisor to mayor Jenny Durkan, stated that the city had no intention of granting any religious accommodations to the vaccine mandate.6
Shinderuk filed a lawsuit alleging that the city was in violation of the Washington Law Against Discrimination and 42 U.S.C. §1983, a civil action for deprivation of rights.7 8
The parties entered into a settlement agreement whereby Shinderuk will dismiss the lawsuit and release all claims in exchange for the city paying her $875,000. This amount will be considered non-economic damages and includes all attorney fees and costs.9
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Click here to view References:1 Esteban M. COVID-19 vaccine mandate: Seattle police 911 supervisor wins settlement in lawsuit. KOMO News. July 22, 2025.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Hoffman A. EXCLUSIVE: Seattle officials had no plans to honor religious exemption on Covid vax mandate, ignored fake vax card allegations. PM June 17, 2025.
7 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE
8 Justia. 2023 U.S. Code Title 42 – The Public Health and Welfare Chapter 21 – Civil Rights Subchapter I – Generally Sec. 1983 – Civil action for deprivation of rights.
9 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE
4 Responses
The courts should require that the heart-less people responsible for denying her exception face this lady in person and apologize, (and I’m talking all the way up the chain of command), and possibly face criminal charges for ignoring the the law allowing religious exceptions. Until someone is held responsible for these human rights violations, it will continue.
A single mother of 3, working in a vital role as a 911 police communications supervisor, was ruthlessly thrown out the door, probably through a cowardly e-mail, (not even in person).
Exactly. Great comments Jerry. They belong in orange jump suits and shackles.
Not to worry. Nobody will go to jail. There is a two tiered justice system in this country. One for corporations, the government bureaucrats, and another for every day working class people. Nobody will ever go to jail from the managerial class, except for the occasional whistle blower whom comes close to touching on actual justice. You can bet your bottom dollar they will try something like this again, probably sooner than later. They do so with impunity, knowing they get away with everything else, knowing that legal fines do not outpace the profits, knowing they can always settle out, that everyone has a price. Nobody ever goes to jail.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
The parties entered into a settlement agreement whereby Shinderuk will dismiss the lawsuit and release all claims in exchange for the city paying her $875,000. This amount will be considered non-economic damages and includes all attorney fees and costs. / Response; What does that mean? What is non economic damages? Sounds like lawyer trickery to me.
Good that this one individual was compensated for being subjected to state tyranny.
Now what about the three hundred other million Americans whom were subjected to the same thing?
Our lives will never be the same. The covid vaccine mandated derailed decades of personal financial and career planning. Looks like we’re going to end up on food stamps soon and may lose our house. What about us? We can’t afford lawyers. We never had one of those posh high paying government jobs in the first place. These damned government tyrants and their heavy handed practices. The lady apparently settled for herself, allowing the ne’er-do-wells off the hook. Typical government worker mindset; Get yours and forget about everyone else. Never look back. Lawyers win again.
Sad that more cities and the feds don’t suffer same
The only drawback is the taxpayers pick up the tab in any
lawsuit against federal, state, county, city