While March 2020 may seem like a distant memory, courts across the country are still busy hearing cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent federal jury verdict in McCormick v. Chicago Transit Authority1 reminds us that employers must remain cognizant of their vaccine requirements and exemption processes — or risk costly litigation.
On August 29, 2025, a jury found the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and awarded an ex-employee, Kevin McCormick, $425,000 in damages. The CTA fired McCormick in April 2022 after he refused to be vaccinated for COVID-19, citing his Catholic faith as the basis for his objection. McCormick stated that he could not receive the vaccine because he is opposed to abortion and believed the vaccine was created from and tested with aborted fetal cells. McCormick also expressed concerns about the safety of the vaccine, including concerns that the vaccine may cause cancer or heart problems. The CTA denied his exemption request, stating that he did not appear to hold a sincere religious belief. After McCormick’s employment was terminated, he brought suit under Title VII and the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The latter claim was dismissed on summary judgment as the court found that the CTA had a compelling government interest in requiring its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic.
At trial, counsel for the CTA argued that the decision makers who denied...
Claims that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman first emerged online in 2021 and have since gone viral. “Two billion people have been exposed to this story in French and 2.5 billion in English,...