UNC Health Rex to implement new policy, pay $150K to settle COVID-19 vaccine discrimination lawsuit

UNC Health Rex Healthcare will pay $150,000 and implement new training and policies on religious accommodation.

It comes more than a year after U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Rex Healthcare on behalf of an employee fired for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

The lawsuit was filed in December 2024.

According to the lawsuit, Heather Goeller worked in a department that was working remotely from the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and she was never asked to return to in-person work.

She “believes that receiving vaccines such as the COVID-19 and flu vaccines is inconsistent with God’s will,” according to the lawsuit.

Goeller had been given religious exemptions for the flu vaccine in 2019 and 2020, according to the suit, but when Rex established a COVID vaccine mandate in 2021, her four written requests for a religious exemption were denied. She was fired on Nov. 3, 2021.

“Even when faced with unique challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, employers must comply with federal civil rights law,” said Melinda Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District.

Included in the $150,000, Goeller will receive more than $85,000 in back pay, according to settlement documents.

“The Charlotte district is actively enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees and job seekers from religious discrimination in the workplace. This settlement between the EEOC and Rex Healthcare is the first for religious discrimination for COVID-19 vaccines in the district, and we will continue to hold employers accountable in enforcing federal law," Melinda Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC Charlotte District Office said in a statement to WRAL News.

The documents also say Rex has 30 days to create a stand-along policy addressing religious accommodation requests for employees. The new policy needs to include several elements, including:

·         The process to request accommodation

·         Written documents of an approval or denial

·         Written explanation for denials

·         List of factors considered in reviewing and decision-making

·         Explanation on how to request for “reconsideration” if an employee receives a denial 

Human resources and employee relations employees will also be required to do annual training.

In a statement, UNC Health spokesperson Alan Wolf wrote:

“UNC Health Rex fully complies with federal law related to religious accommodations. As with many hospitals and health systems across the country, we had to make difficult decisions during the worst of the pandemic in the interest of protecting our patients and teammates. Although we dispute the allegations in the lawsuit, we are happy to resolve this matter and move forward. UNC Health Rex has a robust process for reviewing exemption requests and strives to provide a supportive environment for all of our more than 6,500 teammates.”