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Rotary International class action overview:
- Who: A woman who worked at Rotary International for 15 years sued the company.
- Why: The plaintiff says Rotary unfairly terminated her contract after she refused the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Where: The Rotary International class action was filed in an Illinois federal court.
An Illinois woman sued Rotary International for alleged civil rights violations after the company terminated her contract when she refused the COVID-19 vaccine due to religious beliefs that she should not put chemicals in her body.
Plaintiff Kemberly Renfro filed the class action lawsuit against the nonprofit Rotary International Nov. 4 in an Illinois federal court, alleging violations of civil rights laws.
According to the lawsuit, Rotary engaged in wrongful religious discrimination in employment when it denied Renfro’s reasonable requests for a religious exemption from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate and terminated her contract after she refused vaccination.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotary began a “vaccine challenge” among its employees to achieve a 95% vaccination rate by Aug. 7, 2021, the Rotary International class action states.
Under Rotary’s policies, any employee, including all employees who were denied medical and religious exemptions, that refused COVID-19 vaccinations would be terminated.
Employees granted exemptions would be restricted to virtual participation in meetings and denied from returning to their previous workspace or office, Renfro states.
Rotary International class action claims nonprofit terminated employee contract due to lack of COVID-19 vaccine
Renfro is a deeply religious woman with strongly held beliefs as an independent Christian, the Rotary International class action states. One of these strict principles is her rejection of modern medicine in favor of holistic, traditional medical remedies due to the former’s use of many chemicals that she “sincerely believes” to be harmful to her.
Rotary International employed Renfro for almost 15 years, according to the lawsuit. She received excellent performance reviews and numerous commendations during her long career with the organization, she says.
However, when she applied for an exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine, Rotary International denied the request, with the company questioning what other chemicals she put in her body. Renfro says the termination was illegal.
She sued for violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and violations of the Illinois Human Rights Act. Renfro seeks certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
She looks to represent anyone who requested religious exemptions from Rotary International’s vaccine mandate and were allegedly unlawfully denied.
Earlier this month, a citizen hit President Joe Biden with a class action lawsuit, alleging he violated the civil rights, civil liberties, health and wellbeing of federal employees whom he mandated must take the COVID-19 vaccine.
What do you think of the allegations in this Rotary International class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by William E. Meyer Jr, Lema A. Khorshid and Alex Lee of Fuksa Khorshid LLC.
The Rotary International class action lawsuit is Kemberly Renfro v. Rotary International, Case No. 1:22-cv-06132, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division.
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