Defying the Odds: Catholic Woman Scores Huge Payout After Saying ‘No’ to the Vaccine!

In a landmark legal victory, Lisa Domski, a longtime IT specialist at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, was awarded close to $13 million in damages after her employer terminated her for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The case has drawn national attention, as it represents one of the largest awards related to religious discrimination during the pandemic.

For 38 years, Domski was employed at the insurance company, working her way up as a respected professional in the IT department. But in 2021, when the company introduced a strict COVID-19 vaccination policy requiring all employees to either be fully vaccinated or secure a medical or religious exemption, Domski’s career took a drastic turn. Citing her Catholic faith as the reason for her refusal, Domski sought a religious exemption but was met with resistance.

According to court documents and statements from her attorney, Jon Marko, Blue Cross denied her accommodation request despite her working remotely during the pandemic. Marko highlighted that Domski posed no risk to colleagues or the community as she primarily worked from her basement office. “This was a woman who was working from home in her basement office who wasn’t a threat to anybody and was completely fulfilling all of her job obligations for 38 years,” he explained.

The case centered around Domski’s claim that the company not only disregarded her religious beliefs but also dismissed her attempts to document her sincerity. She reportedly provided a written statement detailing her convictions and even included contact information for her priest and parish. However, her attorney claims the company did not reach out for further verification. “They made up their minds that they were going to discriminate against people who had sincerely held religious beliefs,” Marko said.

In response to her refusal to get vaccinated, Blue Cross Blue Shield allegedly threatened Domski with termination, and, when she held firm, they followed through. This led her to file a lawsuit against her former employer, arguing that her dismissal was an act of religious discrimination.

After reviewing the details, a federal jury in Detroit sided with Domski, awarding her a staggering $12 million, including $10 million in punitive damages, $1.7 million for lost wages, and $1 million for noneconomic damages. Blue Cross Blue Shield, however, disputes the jury’s decision. In a statement, the company expressed disappointment in the outcome while defending the purpose of its vaccination policy. “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 statement read. It emphasized that the policy, launched in October 2021, was designed to balance employee health needs with accommodations for religious or medical concerns, adhering to both state and federal regulations. “While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict.”

Blue Cross added that it is “reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days.”

Domski’s victory comes on the heels of a similar case in Tennessee, where another former Blue Cross employee, Tanja Benton, received a settlement of nearly $700,000 after being terminated for declining the COVID vaccine due to her religious beliefs. Benton had also been working remotely prior to the mandate.

Marko revealed that Domski’s case is just one of many, as he represents an additional 170 individuals filing similar suits against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan over the 2021 vaccine mandate. These cases are expected to go to trial next year, suggesting that Domski’s lawsuit may only be the beginning of a wave of challenges to employer-mandated COVID vaccination policies on religious grounds.

With multiple cases poised to test the limits of workplace mandates and religious exemptions, the outcome of Domski’s lawsuit may set a precedent for other cases and companies grappling with balancing public health concerns and employee rights.