Healthcare workers in Illinois who lost their jobs or were otherwise impacted by their hospitals’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate are set to receive a $10 million settlement following a lawsuit challenging the rule.
The settlement will result in 473 employees becoming eligible for compensation for being denied a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate, with any of those fired as a result being eligible for $25,000.
The 13 plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit will be eligible for an additional $20,000 while those who complied in order to maintain their employment, despite having objections, will be eligible for $3,000. Anyone fired for refusing to get the vaccine will also be eligible for re-employment.
U.S. District Judge John Knees seemingly agreed with Lawyer Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, the organization behind the lawsuit.
Staver accused the employers of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in virtually every employment circumstance on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), and national origin.
Liberty Counsel is currently working with thousands of employees across the United States who faced jab-or-job mandates.
