A woman who was fired for refusing the Covid-19 vaccine has been awarded more than $12 million in damages after suing her former employer.
Lisa Domski, 66, who worked at health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) for more than 30 years, said she was a victim of religious discrimination.
The company in October 2021 did not grant an exemption from its vaccine policy, despite her insistence that it clashed with her Catholic beliefs.
The insurance company implemented a vaccine policy requiring staff to be fully vaccinated or to apply for a religious or medical accommodation.
According to the Catholic Herald, Mrs Domski applied for religious exemption following the guidelines, which included submitting a written statement explaining her beliefs and providing the contact details of her priest.
The report notes that Mrs Domski had ‘sought religious exemption based on her belief that the Covid vaccines in circulation at the time were all either tested or developed using fetal cells that originated in abortion.’
Despite following protocol, BCBSM refused Mrs Domski’s request and allegedly threatened to terminate her if she didn’t comply.
Her attorney, Jon Marko, said the decision to deny her request was even stranger as she worked 100 percent remotely as an IT specialist during the pandemic and 75 percent before COVID-19 hit in 2020.
Lisa Domski, 66, worked at health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) for more than 30 years. Pictured with husband Larry
Even without the vaccine, ‘she wasn’t a danger to anybody,’ Marko said in an interview after the trial.
Mrs Domski refused BCBSM’s request to be vaccinated and was subsequently fired.
Much of the award – $10 million – is for punitive damages against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, according to the verdict form.
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 Mrs Domski lacked a sincerely held religious belief.
However, in the end, the verdict was delivered by the jury foreman in favor of Mrs Domski.
After the verdict, Mr Marko spoke on behalf of Mrs Domski, telling reporters: ‘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.’
Blue Cross released a statement but didn’t make a spokesperson available for comment.
‘While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict,’ the health insurance giant said.
‘Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days.’
Touching on religious beliefs tied to the Covid vaccine, the Catholic Herald notes: ‘Some Catholics have voiced strong opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, citing that aborted fetal cell lines were used in the development of some vaccines.
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
‘However, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith clarified in December 2020 that it is «morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process» if no other options exist.
‘However, the same note made it clear that vaccination should not be mandatory, stating, «vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary.»‘
Johnson & Johnson did use fetal cell lines that were grown in a lab when developing and producing their vaccine, while Pfizer and Moderna used fetal cell lines to test their vaccines and make sure that they work.
None of the fetal cell lines used were the result of abortion.
The payout comes months after Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee paid a woman nearly $700,000 in a settlement after she was similarly fired for refusing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine requirement on religious grounds.
Tanja Benton, 52, who worked as a bio statistical research scientist at BSBST from 2005 until she was fired in November 2022, was awarded a total of $687,000 in her settlement this July.
This broke down to over $177,000 in back pay following her firing, $10,000 in compensatory damages, and $500,000 in punitive damages.
In her lawsuit, the scientist noted that she did not come into regular contact with other staffers during her day-to-day role, and never interacted with hospital patients.
Ms Benton said she submitted a request for a religious exemption which was denied by the company as it told her that she would be let go unless she complied.
The company also allegedly told her that there were no vaccine exemptions for anyone with her job title, and suggested that she looked for another job.
Mr Marko, Mrs Domski’s attorney, said he is representing 170 others in separate wrongful termination cases who are taking similar action against Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan over the 2021 vaccine mandate.
