{"id":2254828,"date":"2024-05-29T08:12:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T12:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeals-court-restarts-lawsuit-against-mayo-clinics-covid-jab-mandate\/"},"modified":"2024-05-29T08:16:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T12:16:54","slug":"appeals-court-restarts-lawsuit-against-mayo-clinics-covid-jab-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeals-court-restarts-lawsuit-against-mayo-clinics-covid-jab-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeals Court Resumes Lawsuit Against Mayo Clinic&#8217;s COVID Vaccine Mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fappeals-court-restarts-lawsuit-against-mayo-clinics-covid-jab-mandate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2254828&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An \u200dappeals \u200dcourt revives a \u200clawsuit \u2064against Mayo Clinic in Minnesota over alleged discrimination due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates conflicting with religious beliefs. Former employees claim violations of their rights, pushing \u200cfor damages. The \u2062court&#8217;s decision could impact\u2064 numerous employees, emphasizing the clash between religious freedoms\u2062 and vaccine mandates. Mayo Clinic \u200bdefends its vaccination program while the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/manhattan-da-moves-to-restrict-trumps-access-to-some-evidence\/\" title=\"Manhattan DA Moves To Restrict Trump\u2019s Access To Some Evidence\">legal battle continues<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>In a significant win for religious freedom and a major setback for Covid poke cops, a U.S. appeals court has resurrected a <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/district-courts\/minnesota\/mndce\/0:2022cv01319\/200757\/62\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> charging the Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic with discriminating against workers who resisted strict Covid-19 vaccine mandates on religious grounds. <\/p>\n<p>The court\u2019s ruling opens the door for scores of employees to seek damages for Mayo\u2019s alleged abuse of equal employment laws, and it comes thanks in part to a federal agency in a vax-happy Biden administration that has pushed Covid shot mandates in the workplace. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-341211961\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fd438a6c0248d0018d974ebd32a19939 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fd438a6c0248d0018d974ebd32a19939\"><\/div>\n<p>Officials with the health system <a href=\"https:\/\/cbsaustin.com\/news\/nation-world\/major-hospital-systems-vaccine-mandate-may-have-violated-religious-rights-court-says-the-mayo-clinic-covid-19-coronavirus-vaccination-christian-religion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> the National Desk that Mayo Clinic will \u201cvigorously\u201d defend itself.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>On Friday, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which had asked the court to revisit the claims of former employees of the renowned clinic. Shelly Kiel and Kenneth Ringhofer were among five medical staff members who filed the lawsuit after being fired in 2022. They claim the hospital\u2019s requirement forcing employees to either get the jab or undergo routine Covid testing violated their religious rights and the sanctity of their bodies. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlaintiffs identify as Christians and allege they refused the vaccine based\u00a0on their sincerely\u00a0held\u00a0religious beliefs,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/district-courts\/minnesota\/mndce\/0:2022cv01319\/200757\/62\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> states. <\/p>\n<p>The complaint alleges the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ten-gop-senators-counter-bidens-1-9-trillion-relief-plan-request-meeting\/\" title=\"Ten GOP Senators Counter Biden\u2019s .9 Trillion Relief Plan, Request Meeting\">health care provider<\/a>, like many others mandating the vaccine, violated the employees\u2019 rights under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/statutes\/title-vii-civil-rights-act-1964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964<\/a> and Minnesota\u2019s anti-discrimination law. Both are supposed to protect employees and job applicants from being discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-eb22cc188fe0f4b943baa212b2ce3428 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-eb22cc188fe0f4b943baa212b2ce3428\"><\/div>\n<p>But U.S. District <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mnd.uscourts.gov\/JRT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Judge John Tunheim<\/a> dismissed the complaint, asserting the fired employees had not shown that the Covid poke and testing requirements as a condition of employment specifically violated their rights. Two of the plaintiffs, the judge ruled, had not exhausted their administrative remedies under Title VII. <\/p>\n<p>In reversing the decision, the<a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov\/opndir\/24\/05\/232994P.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> appellate court found<\/a> that Tunheim, appointed to the Minnesota federal court by President Bill Clinton, erred in interpreting state and federal law, including the judge\u2019s determination that the plaintiffs failed in pleading religious beliefs that conflict with Mayo\u2019s Covid-19 policies. <\/p>\n<p>Kiel, for instance, argued that her \u201creligious beliefs prevent her from putting into her body the Covid-19 vaccines \u2026 because they were all produced with or tested with cells from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pennsylvania-budget-university-of-pittsburgh-must-end-research-on-aborted-babies-or-lose-funding\/\" title=\"Pennsylvania Budget: University of Pittsburgh Must End Research on Aborted Babies or Lose Funding\">aborted human babies<\/a>. Receiving the vaccine would make her a participant in the abortion that killed the unborn baby.\u201d Pfizer and Moderna did use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/supreme-court\/justice-thomas-cites-debunked-claim-covid-vaccines-are-made-cells-abor-rcna36156\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fetal tissue<\/a> stemming from abortions in the early development of the vaccines, although the pharmaceutical companies claim the abortions happened decades ago and the cells used are generations removed. <\/p>\n<p>Ringhofer\u2019s complaint states that \u201chis body is a Temple to the Holy Spirit and [he] is strongly against abortion. Plaintiff Ringhofer believes the Vaccine Mandate violates his religious beliefs and conscience to take the Covid-19 vaccine because the vaccines were produced with or tested with fetal cell lines.\u201d The other plaintiffs voiced similar objections. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-db630e8c143bc7080b1c2716f3abfa00 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-db630e8c143bc7080b1c2716f3abfa00\"><\/div>\n<p>The appeals court found that the lower court judge did not \u201cconsider the complaint as a whole.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs EEOC Guidance says, \u2018overlap between a religious and political view does not place it outside the scope of Title VII\u2019s religious protections, as long as the view is part of a comprehensive religious belief system,\u201d the appeals court <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov\/opndir\/24\/05\/232994P.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruling<\/a> states. While Mayo insisted that many Christians have elected to get the shot, that doesn\u2019t negate the plaintiffs\u2019 beliefs. <\/p>\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/cbsaustin.com\/news\/nation-world\/major-hospital-systems-vaccine-mandate-may-have-violated-religious-rights-court-says-the-mayo-clinic-covid-19-coronavirus-vaccination-christian-religion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement,<\/a> Mayo Clinic said it established its vaccination program to protect the health and safety of staff, patients, and communities. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe program included an exemption to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs, and Mayo granted the majority of requests for religious exemptions,\u201d the hospital system with some <a href=\"https:\/\/newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org\/n7-mcnn\/7bcc9724adf7b803\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2022-Mayo-Clinic-Fact-Sheet-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">76,000 employees<\/a> said. In its decision, the Court of Appeals did not criticize Mayo\u2019s vaccination program or its employment actions; rather, the court merely ruled that the plaintiffs may resume their legal claims.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Engaging in Their Own Lawfare\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The ruling paves the way for more than 100 Mayo Clinic workers and other affected employees to pursue monetary damages in U.S. District Court, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs. Depending on the outcome of the restarted lawsuit, untold numbers of fired employees forced to choose between their jobs and their conscience could seek legal relief, attorneys said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are elated at the 8th Circuit\u2019s decision to follow clearly-established law relating to Title VII (federal law) and the Minnesota Human Rights Act,\u201d Greg Erickson, attorney for Minneapolis-based Mohrman, Kaardal &#038; Erickson P.A., said in a statement. \u201cWe are also very appreciative of the support of the federal agency called the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in defending the religious liberties of our clients by participating in this successful appeal.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Erick Kaardal, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said employers who demanded their workers get the Covid shot or be penalized \u2014 even if they had religious objections \u2014 were \u201cengaging in their own lawfare against religious-objecting employees.\u201d The discrimination, he said, was so bad in the case of Mayo Clinic that even the far-left Biden administration\u2019s EEOC was forced to step in to help correct the district court\u2019s erroneous dismissal. <\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden in September 2021 announced a federal rule mandating that employers with a workforce of 100 or more employees require workers to get the shot or get tested weekly for the virus. The U.S. Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/01\/13\/supreme-court-ruling-biden-covid-vaccine-mandates.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in January 2022<\/a> stopped the administration from enforcing the edict while giving a pass to health care organizations that take federal health insurance payments. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-issues-vaccine-mandate-for-private-and-federal-employees\/\" title=\"Biden Issues Vaccine Mandate for Private and Federal Employees\">17 million health care workers<\/a> were affected, ABC News <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/hundreds-hospital-staffers-fired-suspended-refusing-covid-19\/story?id=80303408\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>. The high court also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govexec.com\/workforce\/2023\/12\/supreme-court-vacates-ruling-restricting-presidents-right-issue-federal-workforce-mandates\/392636\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ordered<\/a> a federal district court in Texas to nix its preliminary injunction against the vax mandate for federal employees. <\/p>\n<p>But the policies must abide by civil rights protections, including religious objections. <\/p>\n<p>As Kaardal noted, oftentimes physicians got away with foregoing the vaccine while nursing and support staff had to face the consequences. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think about these politically correct employers taking it out on religious objectors, it\u2019s really sad,\u201d Kaardal told me Monday afternoon on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/92-simon-conway-20710735\/episode\/matt-kittles-interview-with-erick-kaardal-180566937\/\">Simon Conway Show<\/a>,\u201d on NewsRadio 1040 WHO in Des Moines. \u201cChristians, Muslims, Jewish people, all people of faith should be able to raise religious objections in the workplace. There could have been accommodations worked out.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Listen to the full interview with Erick Kaardal. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Erick-Kaardal-interview-with-Matt-Kittle.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-bbf841ef95270f225c889d2690c3020d fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-bbf841ef95270f225c889d2690c3020d\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a victory for religious freedom, a U.S. appeals court revives a lawsuit against Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The lawsuit alleges discrimination against workers who opposed strict COVID vaccine mandates for religious reasons. The court&#8217;s decision allows employees to pursue damages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2254829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/COVID-SHOT-scaled.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2254828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/COVID-SHOT-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2254828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2254829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2254828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2254828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2254828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}