A Michigan jury awarded $12 million to a woman who lost her job at an insurance company for refusing the experimental COVID-19 jab.
A jury awarded more than $12 million today to a woman who lost her job at a Michigan insurance company after declining to get a COVID vaccine.
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According to the Associated Press, much of the award, $10 million, is for punitive damages against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Lisa Domski said she was a victim of religious discrimination.
In 2021, the insurance company did not grant an exemption from its COVID-19 jab policy despite her Catholic beliefs.
Michigan Jury Awards $12 Million to Woman Fired After Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine
"Much of the award – $10 million – is for punitive damages against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, according to the verdict form. Lisa Domski, who worked at Blue Cross for more than 30 years,… pic.twitter.com/qZpOkV3ijf
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From the Associated Press:
Domski’s attorney, Jon Marko, said she worked 100% remotely as an IT specialist during the pandemic; 75% before COVID-19 hit in 2020.
Even without the vaccine, “she wasn’t a danger to anybody,” Marko said in an interview after the trial.
Besides punitive damages, the jury in Detroit federal court awarded Domski about $1.7 million in lost pay and $1 million in noneconomic damages.
Blue Cross denied any discrimination. In a court filing earlier in the case, the insurer said Domski lacked a sincerely held religious belief.
An appeal is possible. Blue Cross released a statement but didn’t make anyone available for comment.
A jury awarded more than $12 million Friday to a woman who lost her job at a Michigan insurance company after declining to get a COVID-19 vaccination.https://t.co/JPqoM6fAJI
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“While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict,” the company said, according to the Associated Press.
The verdict follows a similar ruling where a federal jury ruled the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) must pay former employees fired over the COVID-19 jab mandates $1 million each.
The jury for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California returned a verdict saying the agency must pay around $7.8 million to six former employees.
The fired workers sought religious exemptions to the agency’s COVID-19 jab mandate.
