CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WSET) — A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of several hundred former employees and applicants that UVA Health allegedly refused religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine. The six plaintiffs, former employees of the university, also filed for a preliminary injunction, asking the court to order UVA to immediately stop those claimed discriminatory practices.
The Founding Freedoms Law Center joined with the CrossCastle, PLLC law firm to file a class-action lawsuit against the University of Virginia Health System in federal court on December 13.
The lawsuit claims there were blatant First Amendment violations, including a written list of favored religions and the dismissal of religious beliefs of employees who belonged to different religious groups.
"Even at the peak of COVID, the United States Supreme Court emphatically held that ‘even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten.’ Unfortunately for our clients, UVA ignored this and decided to favor some religious beliefs over others." Lead counsel Sam Diehl of CrossCastle, PLLC, said.
The Founding Freedoms Law Center says UVA Health System carried out these discriminatory practices at a time when medical staff is needed the most.
"In a pluralistic society, no one is forced to agree with another person's religious convictions, but our laws normally require employers, and especially government employers, to accommodate their employees’ sincerely-held religious beliefs. Because UVA...
‘Completely false’: NV Sec. of State debunks Trump's claims of illegal voting BBC CNN DW CGTN NBC ABC ALJazeera France24 JoyNews CitiTV Net2TV TV3 UTV DelayTV KofiTV MagrahebTV MGTV OTHERS | Movi...