Reporter Allison Williams and producer Beth Faber both lost their jobs at ESPN in 2021 when the Disney company enforced a vaccine mandate and refused to grant exemptions.
Now, Williams and Faber are fighting back.
Two former ESPN employees filed a federal lawsuit against the sports media giant, alleging the company's COVID-19 vaccine requirement violated religious freedom rights.
ESPN and the sports network's parent company, The Walt Disney Company, are listed as defendants in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut Wednesday by former ESPN reporter Allison Williams and ex-producer Beth Faber, according to Front Office Sports...
"Forcing [the] plaintiffs to choose between continuation of their employment and a violation of their religious beliefs in order to retain their livelihoods imposes a substantial burden on plaintiffs' ability to conduct themselves in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs," attorney Christopher Dunn wrote in the complaint, according to the outlet.
As we find out more and more about the vaccine and the narrative around the vaccine's efficacy, I would expect more lawsuits like this.
"I have been denied my request for accommodation by ESPN and The Walt Disney Company, and effective next week, I will be separated from the company," Williams said. "I'm so morally and ethically not aligned with this. I've had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals. Ultimately, I need to put them first. The irony in all this are the same values and principles I hold so dear are what made me a really good employee and probably what helped with the success I've been able to have in my career."
Faber, who spent more than 30 years at the company, was fired in September 2021.
Dunn says that "no serious attempt" was made by ESPN to "accommodate them."
People could be good employees for their entire lives and then be kicked out of their job for not wanting to get a shot.
