In a significant legal move, an employee has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, alleging violations of religious rights and employment laws. Dolores Meehan initiated the complaint on December 31, 2024, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, targeting the City and County of San Francisco as defendants.
The case revolves around Meehan's claims that her employer failed to accommodate her religious beliefs by denying her exemption from a mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy. This denial allegedly led to her termination from San Francisco General Hospital, where she had been employed since August 2014 as a Staff Nurse. Meehan contends that this action constitutes a breach of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and infringes upon her rights under both the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment and the California Constitution.
Meehan asserts that she applied for a religious exemption on September 15, 2021, which was never granted. The defendants did not offer any alternative accommodations for her religious beliefs. Subsequently, on October 18, 2021, she was informed that her employment would be terminated effective December 28, 2021, due to non-compliance with the vaccination mandate. As per Meehan's complaint, this resulted in economic losses and emotional distress.
The plaintiff accuses the City and County of San Francisco of failing to provide reasonable accommodations as required by FEHA and argues that their actions deprived her of equal employment opportunities due to her religion. Furthermore, Meehan alleges that the vaccination policy violated the Free Exercise Clause by imposing undue burdens on her religious practices without being narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest.
Meehan seeks several forms of relief from the court: nominal damages for civil rights violations; compensatory damages for lost wages and emotional distress; declaratory judgments affirming that the vaccination policy breaches constitutional rights; equitable relief including reinstatement with back pay; statutory attorneys' fees; and any other appropriate relief deemed just by the court.
Representing Dolores Meehan is attorney Arkady Itkin from the Law Office of A. Itkin in San Francisco. The case is filed under Case ID CGC-24-621098 in front of Judge Sahar Enayati at the Superior Court of California.