A Tennessee federal jury has awarded Tanja Benton, a former employee of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST), nearly $700,000 after she was terminated for refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine. Benton, who held a position as a biostatistical research scientist, submitted a religious exemption request when the health insurance company introduced a vaccination mandate for its employees in August 2021. She was fired in November 2021.
The court found that her refusal to receive the vaccine was based on a sincerely held religious belief, as Benton, citing personal research, stated that all Covid-19 vaccines are derived from aborted fetus cell lines, which is against her religious views on abortion.
Benton’s lawsuit alleged that her professional role, which involved limited direct client interaction, allowed her to work successfully remotely. Benton was a BCBST employee for over 16 years and had been working remotely since the start of the pandemic lockdown orders.
BCBST fired an estimated 41 out of 900 employees in customer-facing roles who refused to get vaccinated post the mandate. Furthermore, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against BCBST alleging illegal discrimination against those employees who sought, but were denied, religious exemptions from the vaccine mandate, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.