Former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee who refused COVID-19 vaccine awarded $13 million
(CBS DETROIT) - A federal jury awarded a $13 million verdict to a former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee who says she was wrongfully terminated for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to her religion.
Lisa Domski filed a lawsuit in August 2023 through the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, alleging that the health system fired her after she refused to get the vaccine due to religion.
Attorney John Marko says Domski is a devout Catholic and applied for a religious exemption to the vaccine. Marko says Domski, who worked for the health system for nearly 38 years, provided a written statement explaining her beliefs and the name and contact information of her priest.
Marko alleges that Blue Cross Blue Shield failed to contact her priest and told Domski that she could use her written statement. He says the health system instead denied her accommodation and told her she would be fired if she didn't get the vaccine. Domaski refused and was terminated, he says.
Marko says Domaski was awarded $13 million — $10 million in punitive damages, $1.3 million in front pay, $1 million for pain and suffering, and $315,000 in back pay.
"Our forefathers fought and died for the freedom for each American to practice his or her own religion. Neither the government nor a corporation has a right to force an individual to choose between his or her career and conscience," Marko said in a statement. "Lisa refused to renounce her faith and beliefs and was wrongfully terminated from the only job she had ever known. The jury's verdict today tells BCBSM that religious discrimination has no place in America and affirms each person's right to religious freedom."
Statement from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
"Throughout the pandemic, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, together with its employees, worked to promote the health and safety of our colleagues, stakeholders, and communities. As part of that shared work, in October 2021, Blue Cross, and its subsidiaries, enacted a vaccine policy requiring all of its employees to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or obtain a religious or medical accommodation.
"In implementing the vaccine policy, Blue Cross designed an accommodation process that complied with state and federal law and respected the sincerely held religious beliefs of its employees. While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict. Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days."
