Trinity Health Grand Rapids, formerly known as Mercy Health St. Mary’s, a hospital and member of the Trinity Health-Michigan health system, agreed to pay $50,000 and provide other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Trinity Health violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by rescinding a job offer to an applicant who, for religious reasons, refused to receive a flu vaccine. Under Trinity Health’s influenza policy, which has since been rescinded, employees were required to get a flu shot on an annual basis unless granted an exemption. While the applicant’s conditional job offer for the position of business-office coordinator was pending, he applied for an exemption to the flu-shot requirement based on his religious beliefs. Trinity unlawfully denied his request and rescinded the job offer, the EEOC said. Such alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious discrimination.
