Detroit, MI – A Canton man recently received a $133,000 jury award, concluding a legal battle that highlights persistent tensions between employer vaccine mandates and individual religious beliefs. The verdict, issued in Detroit on Thursday, ruled in favor of 56-year-old Harry Yeremian, who was dismissed from his managerial position at the MGM Grand Detroit casino due to his refusal to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination requirement.
Yeremian, a devout Catholic, argued that his dismissal from the gaming venue was a case of religious discrimination. He claimed his faith prevented him from receiving the vaccine and subsequently requested a religious exemption, which he said the casino unjustifiably denied. The jury’s decision appears to uphold the notion that his religious convictions were sincerely held, supporting Yeremian’s assertion that the denial of exemption targeted his religious freedoms.
He was employed as a warehouse manager before being terminated on October 16, 2021, after failing to meet the company’s vaccination deadline set for its non-union staff. The casino had instituted a vaccination policy as part of its health and safety measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19 within its premises, covering all employees without distinction between union and non-union members.
The case serves as a significant precedent in the ongoing discourse regarding employer-imposed health mandates and the protections afforded to workers under religious freedom statutes. Legal experts suggest that while companies generally have the right to enforce health and safety policies, they must also provide reasonable accommodations for employees who refuse such mandates on legitimate religious grounds.
This balance is crucial not only for employee rights but also for public health policy, especially in industries with high physical interaction like the gaming and hospitality sector. The EEOC guidelines stipulate that while employers can require immunization, they must attempt accommodation for employees who object on religious grounds, unless such accommodation poses an undue hardship on the business.
The MGM Grand Detroit has not released an official comment on the jury’s decision. It remains to be seen how this case might influence other businesses navigating similar challenges between workplace safety measures and individual religious rights.
In a climate where vaccination remains a divisive issue, this legal victory could embolden more workers to seek religious exemptions, potentially setting a legal benchmark for future disputes over workplace vaccine mandates.
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