A scientist who was fired from her job because she refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds has been awarded nearly $700,000 in a landmark settlement.
Tanja Benton, 52, was laid off from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BSBST) in November 2022, at a time when many employers were requiring staff to get vaccinated to return to work after the pandemic.
In a lawsuit, she claimed she could not “in good conscience” receive the vaccine because of her religious opposition to abortion and said that “based on personal research, all COVID-19 vaccines are derived from cell lines from aborted fetuses.”
A federal jury found that his refusal was based on “sincerely held religious beliefs” and awarded him the sum in a settlement first obtained by VTCV.
Tanja Benton, 52, received nearly $700,000 after BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BSBST) fired her in November 2022 for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Benton, who worked as a The biostatistical research scientist at BSBST from 2005 until she was fired in November 2022 received a total of $687,000 in her settlement.
This broke down to more than $177,000 in back pay following his termination, $10,000 in compensatory damages, and $500,000 in punitive damages.
In her lawsuit, the 52-year-old woman said she did not come into regular contact with other staff members during her daily work and never interacted with hospital patients.
She said that when the pandemic hit, she worked from home for a year and a half and had no issues with BCBST policies until they introduced a vaccine mandate.
When faced with the choice of getting the vaccine or losing his job, Benton refused, arguing that doing so would “not only defile his body, but would also anger and dishonor God.”
Benton’s claim that “all COVID-19 vaccines are derived from cell lines from aborted fetuses” is not entirely accurate, although they were used in the development phase of some of the vaccines.
While the COVID-19 vaccines themselves do not contain aborted fetal cells, testing during the research phase of mRNA vaccines — and during production of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — did use fetal cell lines.
Fetal cell lines are grown in a laboratory from aborted fetal cells that were collected generations ago, for example Nebraska Medicinebut they are not actually contained in any of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Benton said she submitted a religious exemption request that was rejected by the company because she was told she would be fired if she did not comply.
The company also reportedly told her there were no vaccine exemptions for anyone with her job and suggested she look for another job.
Blue Cross Blue Shield (pictured is the company’s campus in Chattanooga, Tennessee) said it was “disappointed” with the decision in Benton’s case.
In a statement to WTVC, the company said: ‘The vaccine requirement was the best decision for the health and safety of our employees and members, some of whom are the most vulnerable in the state, and our communities.
“We appreciate the service our former employees provided to our members and communities throughout their time with BlueCross.”
Dalya Qualls White, the company’s senior vice president and chief communications officer, added: The Chattanoogan that BCBST was “disappointed by the decision.”
The outlet reported that other fired BlueCross employees also filed a class-action lawsuit against the company over similar complaints.