Tanya Benton, a former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee employee, has been ordered by a grand jury to pay nearly $700,000 in back wages and damages after she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccination required by the company, court documents show.
A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee ruled last week that the insurance company owes Benton $687,240 after he was fired from his job as a biostatistical research scientist. (RELATED: Exclusive: Jim Banks asks Pentagon for statistics that could upend COVID-19 vaccine debate)
According to the judge's filing, Blue Cross Blue Shield “has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that it provided Plaintiff with a reasonable accommodation or that it could not reasonably accommodate Plaintiff's religious beliefs without undue hardship.”
Benton worked for the insurer from 2005 to 2022, before the company implemented its vaccination mandate during the pandemic. according to According to the Washington Examiner, the former insurance employee worked remotely for a year and a half without complaint, but alleged that the nature of his job meant he didn't have much face-to-face contact with people and that his client list consisted of only 10 to 12 people per year. report.
Hard to believe: A federal jury has decided that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee must pay $700,000 to an employee who was fired for refusing to get the COVID vaccine.
Tanya Benton worked as a biostatistical research scientist at BCBS for more than 17 years before she was fired for refusing to get vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/OPRDvaB2Rt
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 1, 2024
After her company made the vaccine mandatory, Benton applied for a religious exemption but was denied. She then appealed but was told there were no exceptions for people in her situation and company representatives encouraged her to look for other work, the Washington Examiner reported.
Benton was eventually fired from his job and filed a lawsuit against the company.
“Making the vaccine mandatory was the best decision for the health and safety of our employees and members – including some of the most vulnerable people in the state – and our communities. We thank our former employees for their service to our members and communities during their time at Blue Cross,” the insurer said in a statement to the news channel following the ruling.
