Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

A federal jury in Michigan has awarded a record $12 million verdict to a Catholic woman fired by the health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for refusing the COVID-19 shot over religious reasons.

According to the Liberty Counsel, Blue Cross unlawfully terminated 250 employees who had submitted religious exemption requests, of which nearly 180 of those fired employees are also suing the company in separate lawsuits.

Lisa Domski, a longtime remote employee with Blue Cross, was fired in January 2022 after the company denied her religious exemption request from its COVID shot mandate.

The jury found that Blue Cross had violated federal and state law in denying her exemption and awarded Domski $10 million in punitive damages, $1.375 million for forgone future wages, $1 million in noneconomic damages, and $315,000 in back pay. Domski’s lawsuit had accused Blue Cross of violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act for disparate treatment and by failing to make reasonable accommodation for an employee's religious beliefs.

The health insurer denied claims of discrimination and said they may try to appeal. It released the following statement:

"Throughout the pandemic, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, together with its employees, worked to promote the health and safety of our colleagues, stakeholders, and communities. As part of that shared work, in October 2021, Blue Cross, and its subsidiaries, enacted a vaccine policy requiring all of its employees to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or obtain a religious or medical accommodation.

In implementing the vaccine policy, Blue Cross designed an accommodation process that complied with state and federal law and respected the sincerely held religious beliefs of its employees. While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict. Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days."