Liberty Counsel just achieved the nation’s first class action settlement over illegal COVID shot mandates. When approved by the court, NorthShore University HealthSystem will pay 10,337,500-dollars to compensate victims of discrimination who were forced to choose between their job and the jab.

This settlement is the first in the nation and should serve as a strong warning to employers that thought they could violate longstanding Title VII religious freedom laws. Read on to learn more about this historic settlement and what is coming next to protect our religious freedom. — Mat

Although this is a historic victory, our legal work defending religious freedom is far from over. Help Liberty Counsel DEFEND FREEDOM and have YOUR GIFT’S IMPACT DOUBLED by a generous Challenge Grant. Select here or the button below.

Elizabeth* is a nurse within the infant special care unit at NorthShore University HealthSystem, located in Illinois. A mother herself, Elizabeth has spent her career tenderly caring for the newborns at NorthShore. These infants have special medical needs requiring constant care, reminding Elizabeth every day just how precious life is. Elizabeth is a Christian who believes that taking a drug developed or tested using aborted fetal cells is a great sin against God, the giver of life.

When the shot mandates were announced at her hospital, Elizabeth dutifully submitted a religious exemption form, as is her right under both federal and Illinois state law. After submitting her exemption request, Elizabeth became the target of daily harassment from her supervisors who demeaned and belittled her religious beliefs. She quietly and patiently endured the treatment because she was the sole provider for her family, and the only source of health insurance for her severely asthmatic son.

In September of 2021, NorthShore stopped approving religious exemption requests and instead began flatly denying all that were submitted, including Elizabeth’s request. All who did not have the shot would be fired, according to the hospital.

Elizabeth had a choice to make—submit to a jab that would be an affront to God or lose the job that pays her family’s bills and provides necessary health insurance for her son.

Elizabeth rejected the jab and contacted Liberty Counsel. We filed a lawsuit to bring justice to Elizabeth and many more employees like her.

Help Liberty Counsel DEFEND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

Elizabeth is just one of more than 500 employees who were unlawfully pressured to violate their religion over the COVID shots or fired by NorthShore University HealthSystem for lawfully seeking their federally protected religious freedom rights.

The bullying and abuse these and many other health care professionals received over these shot mandates is absolutely appalling.

In a speech at the 2022 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit in Rome last week, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned there is a “growing hostility to religion or at least the traditional religious beliefs that are contrary to the new moral code that is ascendant in some sectors.”

Justice Alito is right. That’s why we are fighting so hard for justice.

Liberty Counsel negotiated the more than 10.3-million-dollar payout for Elizabeth and her fellow employees who faced religious discrimination because of their objections to the COVID shots. In addition to the monetary payment, Elizabeth and her fellow colleagues will be eligible to be rehired at their former seniority levels.

Finally, as part of the settlement agreement, NorthShore will also change its unlawful “no religious accommodations” policy to make it consistent with the law, and to provide religious accommodations in every position across its numerous facilities. No position in any NorthShore facility will be considered off limits to unvaccinated employees with approved religious exemptions.

The NorthShore settlement is a momentous win for religious freedom. But as our current caseload shows, the fight for religious liberty—especially considering the COVID tyrannies—is far from over.

Our massive class action lawsuits representing military members, federal employees and civilian contractors against Joe Biden’s unlawful shot mandates are ongoing. Last Wednesday, we filed an amended complaint seeking class certification for the U.S. Coast Guard. We continue to pursue protection for the Marines, Army and more, even as we continue defending Planned Parenthood whistleblower Sandra Merritt and handling a host of other religious liberty cases.

This is why we fight …

“Religious liberty is under attack because it is dangerous to those who want to hold complete power,” Justice Alito told the assembly in Rome last week.

Justice Alito closed his remarks with a comment we should all take to heart, saying, “we can’t lightly assume that the religious liberty enjoyed today in the United States, in Europe, and in many other places will always endure. Religious liberty is fragile.”

Again, Justice Alito is right. Liberty Counsel exists to defend religious liberty in courtrooms across the country, the halls of Congress and at the U.S. Supreme Court. We never charge for our legal work, as few could afford to take on tyrannical corporations and government entities. Instead, our clients rely on YOU, a faithful Liberty Counsel supporter.

Please, prayerfully consider making a recurring monthly donation and you can also DOUBLE YOUR GIFT'S IMPACT through our Challenge Grant!

Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

P.S. Fund the fight for freedom and DOUBLE the impact of your gift through our Challenge Grant. Also, sign up for a monthly recurring gift.

Help spread the word! Share our messages with your friends.

*Name changed for privacy.

Sources:

Blankley, Bethany. The Center Square. “Alito: U.S. Seeing Growing Hostility to Religious Freedom.” The Cheyenne Post, July 30, 2022. Thecheyennepost.com/news/national/alito-u-s-seeing-growing-hostility-to-religious-freedom/article_5849ecec-1782-5c82-9a58-84e2de2fed08.html.

Doe 1 et al. v. NorthShore University HealthSystem. Liberty Counsel, July 29, 2022. Lc.org/072922NorthShoreSettlementAgreement(FILED).pdf.

Health Care Workers Settle COVID Shot Mandate for $10.3 Million. Liberty Counsel, July 29, 2022. Lc.org/newsroom/details/072922-health-care-workers-settle-covid-shot-mandate-for-dollar103-million.

‌Notre Dame Law School. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Delivers Keynote Address at 2022 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit in Rome.” University of Notre Dame, July 28, 2022. Law.nd.edu/news-events/news/2022-religious-liberty-summit-rome-justice-samuel-alito-keynote/.