Court warns employers: timing matters when discipline follows exemption requests
Two Hasbro employees can pursue claims that the toy giant retaliated against them after they sought religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccine policy.
A federal appeals court handed down the decision on January 29, delivering a warning to employers about the perils of timing when it comes to discipline and accommodation requests.
The case involves Jennifer DeAngelis and Natalie Tomaselli, who both worked in Hasbro's Global Brand Publicity division and had been working remotely since the pandemic started in March 2020. When Hasbro announced a vaccination requirement for anyone entering its offices in late 2021, both women requested religious accommodations based on their Christian beliefs.
The women objected to the vaccines on two grounds: they believed forcing substances into their bodies violated their religious convictions, and they understood the vaccines were developed or tested using tissue from aborted fetuses, which conflicted with their faith. Both provided biblical citations supporting their requests.
What happened next is where things got complicated for Hasbro.
Three days after Tomaselli submitted her request in October 2021, her employee badge stopped working. Two weeks later, the company opened an investigation into whether she had failed to wear a mask at a volunteer event where employees cleaned camp cabins. The catch? That event had happened more than three months earlier,...
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