A judge reportedly granted approval of a $10.3 million settlement to workers who were fired after they had their religious exemption to the COVID vaccine denied by NorthShore University HealthSystem.
14 unnamed employees filed a lawsuit against the hospital system in October 2021 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
NorthShore University HealthSystem operates hospitals in Evanston, Highland Park, Glenview, Arlington Heights, Skokie and Chicago.
The parties involved reached a settlement in July following eight months of “vigorous litigation, mediation overseen by a private, experienced mediator, and eight weeks of arm’s length negotiations,” according to court documents.
NorthShore and the plaintiffs agreed to a $10,337,500 settlement. The class action size is approximately 500 current or former NorthShore workers.
269 of them requested a religious exemption and were fired or resigned after having the exemption denied.
204 of the workers requested a religious exemption and after denial became compliant with the policy.
Liberty Counsel, the organization that filed the lawsuit, said in a statement Monday that Judge John F. Kness granted verbal final approval and will enter the final judgment within the next week.
The settlement checks will be sent out within 60 days.
Employees who were terminated or resigned because of their religious refusal of the COVID vaccine will receive approximately $24,000 each and employees who received the vaccine against their religious beliefs to keep their jobs will receive approximately $3,700 each, according to Liberty Counsel.
Employees who were terminated will be eligible for rehire if they apply within 90 days.
Liberty Counsel said many previously terminated employees have already been rehired.
The lawsuit filed in 2021 was seeking to remedy NorthShore’s “pattern of unlawful discrimination” against employees who requested religious exemptions and accommodations from the hospital system’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
According to the lawsuit, the termination of the 14 initial employees would cause “incalculable and irreparable harm to them and their families as described herein, including homelessness, lack of medical care, lack of food and shelter, disrupted education for their children, financial ruin, and harms to their physical, mental and emotional health.”
The suit said that the plaintiffs were against the COVID-19 vaccines because they were “either developed from, or tested with, aborted fetal cells lines” or for other religious reasons.
“To that end, NorthShore has agreed to revise its System Vaccine Program to maintain a step-by-step review process for requests for religious exemptions and accommodations,” the settlement agreement said.
Liberty Counsel Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Litigation Counsel Harry Mihet said he was pleased to get the court’s approval of the classwide settlement.
“This case should set a precedent for other employers who have violated the law by denying religious exemptions for their employees,” Mihet said.
yeh….lessee…..they gettin’ their jobs back???!! don’ hold your breath on this one!!!..
It’s time the people of the USA, the military and anyone else that was forced to get the so-called vaccine sue the US Government, big pharma and every person that had anything to do with passing the law to make them mandatory! Then sue former CEO of twitter for allowing suppression and censorship on anything negative or known facts that the vaccines didn’t work and what the side effects were!
I am glad for those workers getting justice, they deserve it. But what about all the other healthcare workers who suffered the same fate across the country??? I fail to understand how a court in one state or city can rule in favor of the workers, yet it does not apply across the board to ALL healthcare workers??? They are still being subjected to Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate in hospitals and nursing homes, basically anyplace that accepts Medicare/Medicaid (which is damn near anywhere). I did not work for over 2 years because of these mandates. The only reason I am working now is because it’s for a school district and they do not have a vaccine mandate (since it was ruled unconstitutional by SCOTUS). There are so many of us who have been put through hell since 2020. Losing our jobs, unable to find employment that respects our bodily autonomy, being censored on social media and ostracized for speaking out. We KNOW what this “vaccine” does and we know that it’s not only ineffective, but unsafe. They are pissed because we dare question their narrative. “Science deniers” is what we were called!!! Despite mounds of evidence we were right all along. Where are our reparations??????? I would settle for some accountability – I would rather see that than to get any amount of money. I want to see their heads roll – Biden, Fauci, CDC, anyone who was involved in perpetuating this lie.
Fantastic! Now we need a lawsuit to give damages to all who stood up against
the bullies and declined to get the vaccinations. They were so mistreated and the
government should pay them money to make up for the misbehavior! There should be
a penalty for vilifying people and trying to force them to do something they disagree with!