CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A former nurse is suing Novant Health Matthews Medical Center for alleged religious discrimination after she says the healthcare system failed to accommodate her religious beliefs, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff has sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent her from receiving the flu vaccine, and after requesting accommodations, Novant failed to provide them.
The plaintiff was later suspended and then terminated, court documents state.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff began working for Novant in or around October 2016 as a Registered Nurse (RN) and held the position until she was terminated on November 8, 2021.
In the fall of 2021, Novant notified employees that the flu vaccination period would begin on October 1 and team members had until 5 p.m. on October 31 to receive the vaccine and submit proof of vaccination. The notification further said that exemption requests were due by September 30 at 5 p.m.
Novant’s Influenza Immunization policy says, “Novant Health requires an annual influenza vaccination for all Novant Health team members as a condition of employment unless a valid medical or religious exemption is granted.“
On and about September 15, 2021, the plaintiff submitted a Religious Accommodation Request for the flu vaccine. From October 5 through November 7, she was on approved family medical leave to care for her father in New York, who later died on October 17, documents state.
While still on leave, the plaintiff’s manager contacted her on October 25, asking whether she received her flu vaccine. The plaintiff called Human Resouces and Employee Health and learned her accommodation request was denied and the deadline to appeal had passed.
The lawsuit states the plaintiff was notified of the denied request via her work email while she was still on leave in New York and did not have access to her work email. The denial letter was dated October 13 and stated that she was expected to get vaccinated by October 31.
Court documents state she submitted an appeal on October 26 but was later denied again. The response from Novant generally stated, “[i]f you received a denial, the committee did not feel the information you provided, in your own words, explained why your sincerely held faith-based belief prevented you from getting the influenza vaccine.”
The plaintiff also accuses the company of unlawful suspension and wrongful termination, violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and North Carolina public policy. She also alleges that she was treated differently from her co-workers due to her religion, saying others were allowed to continue working without receiving the vaccine.
Due to the plaintiff allegedly suffering financial damages and severe mental and emotional distress, she is seeking reinstatement, back pay, front pay, out-of-pocket costs, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and her attorneys’ fees and costs.
