A Tennessee woman, Tanja Benton, has won a nearly $700,000 settlement after being fired for refusing the mandated COVID-19 vaccine by her employer, BlueCross BlueShield.
The federal jury ruled in her favor, citing her sincerely held religious belief against the vaccine’s origins in aborted fetal cell lines.
Benton, a biostatistical research scientist, worked remotely without performance issues but was terminated after requesting a religious exemption.
“As part of its verdict, the federal jury awarded Benton $177,240 in back pay, $10,000 in compensatory damages, and $500,000 in punitive damages, for a total of $687,240,” one report noted.
“A group of employees terminated by BCBST over a Title VII violation regarding religious discrimination are also currently in a class action suit against the employer,” another report stated.
“The mass layoffs came weeks ahead of a Tennessee law that would prevent the company from carrying out the mandate,” it added.
“These are my friends. These are family members. These people will not have the money to take care of their families, and so, the only thing I know to do is to act. We’re doing more than just rallying; we are calling in our elected officials,” Tennessee Neighbors for Liberty director Glenda Pappu said.
Additionally, other employees terminated over the vaccine mandate are engaged in a class-action lawsuit against the company.
