Tuesday, 26 November 2024

Jury Awards Woman Fired For Refusing COVID-19 Jab $12 Million


A Michigan jury awarded $12 million to a woman who lost her job at an insurance company for refusing the experimental COVID-19 jab.

According to the Associated Press, much of the award, $10 million, is for punitive damages against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Lisa Domski said she was a victim of religious discrimination.

In 2021, the insurance company did not grant an exemption from its COVID-19 jab policy despite her Catholic beliefs.

From the Associated Press:

Domski’s attorney, Jon Marko, said she worked 100% remotely as an IT specialist during the pandemic; 75% before COVID-19 hit in 2020.

Even without the vaccine, “she wasn’t a danger to anybody,” Marko said in an interview after the trial.

Besides punitive damages, the jury in Detroit federal court awarded Domski about $1.7 million in lost pay and $1 million in noneconomic damages.

Blue Cross denied any discrimination. In a court filing earlier in the case, the insurer said Domski lacked a sincerely held religious belief.

An appeal is possible. Blue Cross released a statement but didn’t make anyone available for comment.

“While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict,” the company said, according to the Associated Press.

The verdict follows a similar ruling where a federal jury ruled the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) must pay former employees fired over the COVID-19 jab mandates $1 million each.

Federal Jury Rules Transit Agency Must Pay Workers Fired Due To COVID-19 Jab Mandate Over $1 Million Each

The jury for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California returned a verdict saying the agency must pay around $7.8 million to six former employees.

The fired workers sought religious exemptions to the agency’s COVID-19 jab mandate.


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