A Detroit jury awarded $12.7 million to a Catholic woman who was fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.

The decision came after the jury found the insurance company discriminated against Lisa Domski by denying her request for a religious exemption.

Lisa Domski, an IT specialist with 38 years of service at Blue Cross Blue Shield, was fired after refusing to comply with the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which was introduced in October 2021.

She had submitted a written statement to the company explaining her Catholic faith and opposition to vaccines connected to fetal cell lines.

Company Rejected Most Religious Requests

Blue Cross ultimately rejected 75% of all religious accommodation requests, leading to the termination of 250 employees in January 2022.

The senior Blue Cross employee in charge of deciding exemptions had told colleagues that he doubted the validity of any religious accommodation request.

The company conducted interviews with employees seeking accommodations that lasted up to 15 minutes and involved 10 primary questions, including whether employees took over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol or Tums.

Employees were told erroneously that these common medications were developed using stem cells.

Company Claimed Ignorance of Faith

The insurer claimed in court to be unaware of her Catholic faith at the time of her firing, despite her written statement with contact information for her spiritual advisor.

In her statement to the company, Domski had written: "My religious view has always been and continues to be that abortion is murder and a sin against God. I must consider the moral aspects of the use of all vaccines that have connection to fetal cell lines obtained from an abortion."

Domski's lawsuit, filed in August 2023 in U.S. District Court in Detroit, accused Blue Cross of violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which requires employers to make reasonable accommodation for an employee's religious beliefs.

Massive Financial Award

The jury awarded Domski $315,000 for back pay, $1.375 million for forgone future wages, $1 million for noneconomic damages, and $10 million in punitive damages.

Domski's firing cost her vision insurance, 401k benefits, bonuses, and all earned vacation time, and she has been unable to find other employment because she lacks a college degree.

Her attorney Jon Marko is currently representing 170 additional individuals in wrongful termination lawsuits against Blue Cross Blue Shield related to the company's 2021 vaccine mandate.

Marko, who is Catholic but chose to get vaccinated, said he was initially skeptical about the lawsuit but changed his mind after learning what Blue Cross did to these loyal workers.