Jury awards $133K to MGM Grand Detroit worker who refused COVID-19 vaccine
(CBS DETROIT) - A former MGM Grand Detroit casino employee has won a federal lawsuit against the company over a COVID-19 vaccination requirement imposed on some employees in 2021.
The case, Hratvch Yeremian v. MGM Grand Casino, resulted in a jury verdict in the Eastern District of Michigan federal court in favor of the former employee, along with $133,000 in damages that included $33,000 in back pay, according to court records.
Attorneys for Yeremian issued a press release Thursday about the case and the decision, explaining that the former employee was denied a vaccine exemption he sought based on sincerely held religious beliefs.
"Neither the government nor a corporation has a right to force an individual to choose between his or her career and conscience," Jonathan "Jon" Marko of Detroit, one of his attorneys, was quoted in the press release as saying.
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic resulted in widespread disruptions to workplaces and public spaces in the United States starting in March 2020. The immediate steps taken in an effort to limit the spread of the virus included limits on large group meetings, shifts to remote work and schooling, instructions as to who could work on-site under "essential employee" exemptions and face masks commonly worn in public.
Vaccines against COVID-19 became available to the public starting in December 2020, with increasing availability during the next few months.
In response to the new vaccines, some workplaces invoked in 2021 a requirement that employees who work on-site must be vaccinated against the virus.
MGM Grand was among those companies, announcing a vaccine requirement for all salaried employees on Aug. 16, 2021.
That being said, Yeremian's lawsuit points out that the MGM COVID-19 vaccine policy did not apply to its union employees, who are about 80% of the workforce.
Yeremian had worked for MGM Grand since June 1999, earning promotions up to warehouse manager, according to his attorneys. After COVID-19 pandemic restrictions began, he was among those designated as an "essential employee" so he could work on-site.
In response to the vaccination policy announcement, Yeremian filed a religious accommodation request on Sept. 16, 2021. Yeremian, who, according to his lawyer, is an Apostolic Orthodox Christian, related that receiving that particular vaccine would violate his religious beliefs.
His request "proposed several accommodations instead of vaccination," such as continued practice of social distancing, wearing masks, or working remotely when possible.
MGM denied his request, saying it would face undue hardship by allowing the exemption.
The company then fired Yeremian on Oct. 15, 2021; his attorney said the reason was insubordination.
"Mr. Yeremian refused to renounce his faith and beliefs and was wrongfully terminated from his job," Marlko said in the press release. "The jury's verdict today tells MGM that religious discrimination has no place in America and affirms each person's right to religious freedom."
In November, a federal jury awarded a $13 million verdict to a former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee who claimed she was fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to her religion.
CBS News Detroit has reached out to MGM for comment on this verdict and has not yet received a response.
