After being fired for refusing the Covid- 19 vaccination, a previous employee of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST ), she was given a virtually$ 700,000 colony on Friday.  ,
When BCBST required a vaccine for its staff in August 2021, Tanja Benton, the plaintiff, requested a religious deduction.  , A Tennessee federal jury , found ,” by a preponderance of evidence that her]plaintiff ] refusal to receive the Covid vaccination was based upon sincerely held religious belief” . ,
The Plaintiff had submitted her religious provision to BCBST in September 2021 and was  , fired , in November of that year.
” Precisely,  , Plaintiff firmly , believes, based upon personal study, that all , COVID- 19 vaccinations are derived from abandoned fetus , body lines”, Benton’s complaint reads. Plaintiff ca n’t in good conscience consume the vaccine because of her sincerely held religious beliefs regarding abortion, which would inflict both anger and disgrace God.
Benton’s petition also cited the nature of her single job as a biostatistical study scientist, the fact that she rarely met with users and was able to work remotely.
” Plaintiff’s job scarcely involved direct conversation with users”, the petition reads. ” In fact, approximately one percent ( 25 hours ) of her total annual working hours (2, 080 hours ) involved client interaction” . ,
Benton was an individual of BCBST for 16- plus centuries before her dismissal. Benton had worked remotely for more than a year and a half under pandemic shutdown requests prior to the vaccine authority.
” Applicant conducted , all , client , meetings , by distant methods”, the petition reads.  ,” No consumer expressed any concerns or problems about rural relationships, nor did , any consumer express a desire for Applicant to have real in- individual contacts with them” . ,
Benton reportedly worked in one of the 800 to “900 so-called customer-facing jobs” where some full-time remote employees were fired after the vaccine mandate was in place. As Insurance Business Magazine reported:” Out of the 900 people, 41 refused to getting vaccinated and were subsequently fired. In particular, 19 of those positions were terminated in October of that year, and 22 more were fired in November 2021, just before Tennessee passed a law requiring BCBST to cease enforcing the mandate.
An extra class-action lawsuit has been filed against BCBST for unlawful discrimination against people who sought and received religious deductions from the vaccine mandate. It makes reference to a violation of the rights of people under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
” Defendant’s discriminatory steps left Claimants and those , similarly situated with , the fierce process of choosing between their beliefs and their jobs”, the course- action complaint reads.  ,” As to those who chose their beliefs, Defendant terminated their job” . ,
Kamden Mulder is a summertime volunteer at The Federalist. She is a freshman at Hillsdale College majoring in American Studies and Journalism.
