August 10, 2022

Illinois Hospital System Pays $10 Million Settlement Over COVID Vaccine Mandate

500 former and current health care workers who sued NorthShore University Health Care System settled for a payment of $10,337,500. The workers were denied religious exemptions from the Illinois hospital system's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Some were fired as a result.

Because all currently available COVID-19 vaccines used a line fetal cells harvested from aborted children during their research and/or production, pro-life health care workers often object to taking them.

Liberty Counsel, which represented the workers, released a statement announcing the settlement terms:
As a result of the settlement, NorthShore will pay $10,337,500 to compensate these health care employees who were victims of religious discrimination, and who were punished for their religious beliefs against taking an injection associated with aborted fetal cells. 

This is a historic, first-of-its-kind class action settlement against a private employer who unlawfully denied hundreds of religious exemption requests to COVID-19 shots.
The statement continues,
As part of the settlement agreement, NorthShore will also change its unlawful “no religious accommodations” policy to make it consistent with the law, and to provide religious accommodations in every position across its numerous facilities. No position in any NorthShore facility will be considered off limits to unvaccinated employees with approved religious exemptions. 

In addition, employees who were terminated because of their religious refusal of the COVID shots will be eligible for rehire if they apply within 90 days of final settlement approval by the court, and they will retain their previous seniority level.

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