The federal government is suing Mayo Clinic for allegedly denying a religious exemption to Cody Schultz, a security guard who asked to undergo COVID-19 testing rather than take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the lawsuit centers on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate issued by Mayo in October of 2021. That policy required every Mayo Clinic employee to get vaccinated by Dec. 3, obtain a religious or medical exemption, or face termination.
In November, Schultz requested a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate citing his membership in the Assemblies of God Church. Schultz explained that the vaccine contained ingredients that were inconsistent with his faith and his church believes in “divine healing.” The security guard included passages from the Bible in his request for an exemption.
Schultz, a non-medical employee, said he would be willing to wear a mask and undergo COVID testing instead of being forced to get the vaccine. Mayo Clinic reportedly denied Schultz’s request and the security guard ended up taking the vaccine to avoid being fired.
The EEOC says Mayo Clinic’s alleged actions violate Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a federal law which bans employers from discriminating against employees based on religion.
In turn, the EEOC is requesting that Mayo compensate Schultz and pay punitive damages. Additionally, the EEOC is asking that Mayo be prevented from denying religious COVID-19 vaccine exemptions when those exemptions “would not impose an undue hardship.”
Before the lawsuit was filed, the EEOC attempted to obtain a pre-litigation settlement but was unsuccessful. Alpha News reached out to Mayo Clinic but did not receive a response.
“Employees have a right to request reasonable religious accommodations without fear of punishment or termination, including for vaccination policies,” said Andrea Lucas, the acting chair of the EEOC.
“Effectively forcing employees to submit to vaccinations against sincerely held religious beliefs can violate federal civil rights laws. The EEOC will hold employers accountable for such violations of Title VII,” added Lucas.
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Author: Luke Sprinkel
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