A group of former New York City employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against the city and unnamed officials, alleging that the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate policies violated their religious rights.
The plaintiffs in this case, including Sharon Tunnell, Edison Gbor, and others, were employed by various city departments, such as the Fire Department (FDNY), Police Department (NYPD), Department of Parks & Recreation, and others. They allege that they were denied religious accommodations from the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, leading to terminations or forced retirements throughout 2022. Tunnell was terminated from her role as a Fire Protection Inspector on July 27, 2022, while Edison Gbor lost his job as an FDNY firefighter and is now homeless. The plaintiffs argue that these actions violate their fundamental statutory and constitutional rights.
Central to the complaint is the assertion that New York City's policies were discriminatory by categorically excluding most religious objections from protection under its vaccine mandate. The lawsuit accuses the city of violating both federal and state laws designed to protect religious freedoms. It claims that these policies failed to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs unless they conformed to specific criteria deemed acceptable by city officials. "The Citywide Panel routinely denied people on undue hardship well into late summer of 2022," alleges the complaint, suggesting a systematic disregard for individual religious convictions.
The plaintiffs are seeking several forms of relief from the court: declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent further enforcement of these policies; reinstatement to their former positions; nominal, compensatory, actual, and punitive damages; attorneys’ fees; and other remedies for harms suffered due to what they describe as unconstitutional actions by city authorities.
The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under Case No. 29-1781.