Catholic fired for refusing COVID shot wins massive lawsuit

A Michigan woman who was fired after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine because of her "sincerely held" Catholic beliefs has just won a massive lawsuit.

On Friday, a Detroit jury awarded Lisa Domski nearly $13 million after she was terminated from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan on account of her refusal to take the shots. Of the $12.69 million she was awarded, $10 million was for punitive damages, $1.7 million for lost wages, and $1 million for noneconomic damages, Lawyer Monthly reported.

'This win isn’t just about compensation; it’s about standing up for employee rights.'

Domski, an IT specialist from the Detroit suburb of Wyandotte who worked for BCBS of Michigan for a total of 38 years, was fired in January 2022 after requesting a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate imposed at the company a few months earlier.

Around November 1, 2021, BCBS of Michigan announced that all employees, even those like Domski who were mostly working remotely, had to be vaccinated by December 8 or apply for a religious exemption.

Domski opted to apply for a religious exemption on account of what her lawsuit described as her "sincerely held religious beliefs." Without being permitted to have a lawyer present, she was then grilled by company officials, who asked her questions such as, "What do you do when you are in physical pain?" "Do you take Aspirin, Sudafed, Tums, or Tylenol?" and "Have you always followed this religious belief?" the lawsuit claimed.

Domski even furnished officials with the name of her parish and her priest, to no avail.

After officials probed the sincerity of her religious beliefs and the religious beliefs of other employees applying for an exemption, BCBS of Michigan placed many of them on unpaid leave before firing approximately 250 of them, including Domski, on January 5, 2022. However, according to Domski's lawsuit, the company "allowed other unvaccinated employees without Plaintiff's same religious beliefs to be exempted" from the vaccine mandate.

Now, three years later, Domski and her attorney, Jon Marko, are celebrating the jury's decision as a "major victory" in the fight to protect religious liberties.

"Our forefathers fought and died for the freedom for each American to practice his or her own religion. Neither the government nor a corporation has a right to force an individual to choose between his or her career and conscience," Marko said in a statement to Blaze News.

"Lisa refused to renounce her faith and beliefs and was wrongfully terminated from the only job she had ever known. The jury’s verdict today tells BCBSM that religious discrimination has no place in America and affirms each person’s right to religious freedom."

Andrea Picciotti Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, is likewise encouraged by the ruling.

"This award is an important vindication of conscience rights. No one should be forced to choose between keeping their job or acting against their firmly and sincerely held religious beliefs," Picciotti Bayer said in a statement to Blaze News.

Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, also weighed in, congratulating Domski and Marko on their hard-fought win.

"Since 2020 we've seen a relentless attack on personal and religious freedom through the enforcement of experimental drugs," Burch said in a statement to Blaze News, "and the 2024 election showed that Catholics in Michigan and across the nation will vote against a candidate who threatens religious protections. Religious discrimination has no place in America."

As might be expected, BCBS of Michigan was less effusive about the decision, expressing appreciation for jurors and the process but disappointment with the result.

"Throughout the pandemic, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, together with its employees, worked to promote the health and safety of our colleagues, stakeholders, and communities," the company said in a statement, according to TNND.

"In implementing the vaccine policy, Blue Cross designed an accommodation process that complied with state and federal law and respected the sincerely held religious beliefs of its employees."

The company also indicated that it was still exploring its "legal options" to determine a "path forward."

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include statements from Andrea Picciotti Bayer of the Conscience Project and Brian Burch of CatholicVote.

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