(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A Christian woman from Tennessee who was fired from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) for refusing to comply with the company forcing its employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine received a settlement worth nearly $700,000.
A federal jury found that Tanja Benton “proved by a preponderance of the evidence” that her decision to refuse the vaccine was based on a “sincerely held religious belief,” Fox News reported.
The news source added that for a total of over $687,000, the jury awarded Benton more than $177,000 in back pay, $10,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.
In her lawsuit, Benton, who worked at BCBST from 2005 through November 2022 primarily as a bio-statistical research scientist, said that she wasn’t required by the company to communicate with people in person. Benton then added that she only interacted with 10 to 12 clients each year, with some of those interactions being online.
Benton also claimed in the lawsuit that she never had contact with patients as part of her job, adding that she worked from home for a year and a half during the pandemic.
When BCBST announced that the employees must get vaccinated, Benton refused.
“[She] firmly believes, based upon personal research, that all COVID-19 vaccines are derived from aborted fetus cell lines,” Benton said, adding that she “cannot in good conscience” receive the vaccine because it “would not only defile her body but also anger and dishonor God.”
Benton submitted a request for a religious exemption, but BCBST denied it, telling her she could not keep her job unless she bent the knee.
Instead of doing that, Benton appealed and explained she did not come into contact with people at her job. The company then told her that there were no exceptions for anyone with her job title and that she was fired.
“We’re disappointed by the decision,” BCBST senior vice president and chief communications officer Dalya Qualls White said, adding that the company still thinks forcing people to inject something in their bodies was a good decision.
