In a recent legal development, a federal judge has ruled that the law firm DLA Piper must face allegations that it failed to accommodate a former employee’s religious exemption request concerning its COVID-19 vaccination requirement. U.S. District Judge John R. Blakey of the Northern District of Illinois denied a motion to dismiss an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by Ryan Shepherd, a former hospitality department worker in DLA Piper’s Chicago office. According to the complaint, Shepherd sought an exemption from the vaccination mandate in October 2021 on the grounds of his Christian beliefs, which oppose the direct injection of “foreign biological materials.” DLA Piper’s HR department rejected his request due to job obligations that necessitated his physical presence in the office, although they proposed he search for a remote position within the firm.
The lawsuit also alleges that DLA Piper presented Shepherd with an employment and severance agreement under the threat of termination the day after denying his request for regular testing as an alternative to receiving the vaccine. Judge Blakey noted that without additional factual evidence, the court could not determine whether the actions of DLA Piper and the accommodations provided were reasonable, as cited in court documents.