Legal Case References

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Legal Case References

See for Example:

Eighth Circuit: Ringhofer v. Mayo Clinic (5/24/24)

Overview: Plaintiffs refused the vaccine based on religious beliefs about bodily sanctity. Protection of religious beliefs is not contingent on uniformity within a religious sect or group. Overlap between religious and secular views does not negate legal protections for religious beliefs.

 

Sixth Circuit: Lucky v. Lark Medical of Michigan (6/12/24)

Overveiw: Employee denied vaccine accommodation based on prayer and belief that vaccination would cause spiritual harm. Courts cannot evaluate the validity or centrality of a person’s interpretation of religious beliefs. The individual’s belief in suffering spiritual harm was protected as a sincerely held religious belief.

 

Benton v. Bluecross Blueshield Of Tennessee (6/27/2024)

Overview: Jury unanimously found that Benton had proven her refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination was based on a sincerely held religious belief. 

 

Seventh Circuit: Passarella and Dottenwhy v. Aspiris (7/29/24)

Overview: Nurse objected to vaccine mandates, citing concerns about her body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Employers must accommodate the religious aspects of an employee’s objections, even if there are overlapping secular concerns.

 

First Circuit: Bazinet v. Beth Israel Health System (8/13/24)

Overview: Amanda Bazinet was terminated after her religious accommodation request was denied. Court ruled that religious beliefs are personal and do not require unanimity among members of a religion to be protected. Also, the sincerity of a religious belief is not negated by the fact that it was informed by external sources like the internet.

 

For additional court rulings: Lewis-Williams et al v. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit DistrictHealth Freedom Defense Fund v. Los Angeles Unified School District (Ninth Circuit); EEOC v. Hank’s FurnitureAscension Health SettlementNicholas Bassen, et al., Plaintiffs, v. The United States

 

See also presentation by Jonathan Cherne, Esq.: Legal Challenges to COVID Vaccine Mandates