Mayo Clinic Sued for Denying COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Mayo Clinic is being sued for religious discrimination by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The federal agency claims the Rochester-based healthcare provider violated federal law when it refused to grant a security guard's request for a reasonable religious accommodation to its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. The lawsuit alleges that Mayo instead threatened to fire the employee and forced him to be vaccinated against his conscience and religious beliefs in order to keep his job.
A news release issued by the EEOC says the Mayo Clinic security guard explained the basis of his religious beliefs and offered to receive COVID-19 testing and wear a mask. The lawsuit contends Mayo rejected his request for a religious accommodation because it did not believe his religious beliefs were sincere.
According to the news release, the EEOC filed the lawsuit today in federal court after first attempting to reach a settlement through an administrative conciliation process. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, including both compensatory and punitive damages. It also requests a court order requiring Mayo Clinic to make policy changes to prevent similar situations in the future.
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