EEOC sues Mayo Clinic for denying religious vaccine exemption to security guard

ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - Mayo Clinic is facing a lawsuit in U.S. District Court over allegedly threatening to fire a security guard for not wanting to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to his religious beliefs.

A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says Mayo Clinic violated a federal law when it refused to grant the security guard’s request for religious accommodation. Mayo Clinic implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy in October 2021 for all employees to receive a vaccine by Dec. 3, 3021, unless they received a medical or religious exemption, or they would be terminated.

Guard threatened to be fired

What we know:

According to the lawsuit, the security guard requested religious accommodation to Mayo Clinic’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy on Nov. 1, 2021, stating his religious practice conflicted with the vaccine. The man worked as a security guard in a nonmedical role in November 2021.

Court documents state the man is a member of Assemblies of God Church, which emphasizes a "core Pentecostal doctrine of divine healing." The guard said certain ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccine were inconsistent with his religious beliefs, and he could not put those in his body. The guard told Mayo officials "if he died from the vaccine, it would constitute suicide and undermine God's faith."

He said he would wear a mask and get tested if Mayo Clinic granted him the religious exemption.

On Nov. 22, 2021, Mayo Clinic officials informed the guard he didn't meet the criteria for the exemption, and it was denied. The lawsuit says Mayo Clinic officials denied his accommodation because they didn’t believe his religious beliefs were sincere. 

On Dec. 2, 2021, the guard was allegedly told he must get the vaccine, or he would be fired. He got the vaccine that day. The guard says he was effectively forced to get the vaccine, and violated his conscience and religious beliefs to save his job.

What EEOC is saying

What they're saying:

EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas released a statement about the lawsuit.

"Employees have a right to request reasonable religious accommodations without fear of punishment or termination, including for vaccination policies. Effectively forcing employees to submit to vaccinations against sincerely held religious beliefs can violate federal civil rights laws. The EEOC will hold employers accountable for such violations of Title VII," the statement said.

When asked for a comment, Mayo Clinic said, "We won’t comment due to pending litigation." 

What's next:

The lawsuit says Mayo Clinic violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of religion. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, injunctive relief and policy changes to prevent future incidents.