Employee fired for refusing COVID-19 vaccination sues Colorado company
A Colorado employee who was fired for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination has filed a lawsuit against Newmont Mining Corporation, accusing the company of religious discrimination.
Tavis Rogers, a 56-year-old licensed engineer, had been on the job for seven months when Newmont's management issued a vaccination requirement in November 2021, giving all employees two months to comply.
According to court documents, Rogers immediately notified the company of his religious conflict with the order. As a Christian, Rogers believes that his body is a temple of God and should not be injected with any medical substances that may modify God's design.
"Complying with this mandate would definitely burden my religious exercise because in my faith, my body does not belong to me," Rogers stated in response to the company's questionnaire. "If you are mandating to me what to place into His Temple, then you are burdening my religious freedom by taking the choice of what goes into my body away from God."
Rogers, who was hired as a Water Treatment Plant Project Director with a six-figure salary, requested to continue working remotely instead of getting vaccinated. However, Newmont's human resources department continued to ask invasive questions about his past vaccination history.
In a written response, Rogers cited his religious beliefs and stated that God has provided him with an immune system that He Himself designed. He also offered to provide a copy of the Holy Bible to Newmont's HR department for a better understanding of his faith.
But the company did not budge and terminated Rogers at the end of January, citing the ongoing global pandemic and the vaccine's role in protecting its workforce and communities. In response, Rogers wrote, "God created me with an immune system, and I cannot alter His design."
Rogers has since filed a lawsuit against Newmont, alleging that the company violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The lawsuit, filed on November 7 in federal court, is seeking monetary losses, compensatory damages for emotional suffering, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
Rogers' attorney, Steven Murray, stated, "Newmont's actions were a clear violation of my client's religious rights. He should not have been forced to choose between his job and his deeply held beliefs."
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The case has sparked a heated debate over the rights of employees to refuse vaccinations based on religious beliefs. Some argue that mandating vaccinations violates personal freedoms, while others argue that it is necessary for the health and safety of the workforce and communities.
Newmont Mining Corporation, headquartered in Denver, has not yet commented on the pending litigation. Meanwhile, Rogers has received support from various religious and conservative groups, who see his case as a violation of religious freedom. The court date for the lawsuit has not yet been set.