In Prodan v. Legacy Health, (D OR, Feb. 12, 2024), an Oregon federal district court refused to dismiss a Title VII religious discrimination claim brought by two former employees of Legacy Health who were denied religious exemptions from the Covid vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. The court said in part:
... [C]ourts appear to be in agreement that a general allegation of religious conflict without identifying a conflicting belief is insufficient to survive a motion to dismiss....
... [However] allegations of an allegedly religious belief coupled with an assertion that the COVID-19 vaccine conflicts with that belief is enough to plead a prima facie case of religious discrimination.
In the case, one plaintiff alleged that her body is a temple of God and taking the Covid vaccine violates her conscience. The second defendant alleged that her body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit and refraining from injecting it with harmful chemicals and unknown substances honors the Temple.
