Medical Justice
Bube v. Aspirus Hospital, Inc.
What the court held
The Seventh Circuit reversed the dismissal of Title VII claims brought by two registered nurses whose requests for religious exemptions from a hospital system's COVID-19 vaccine requirement were denied. The court held that an employee seeks a religious accommodation when the request is 'plausibly based at least in part on some aspect of their religious belief or practice,' even where the request also raises secular concerns.
What it means
A request does not stop being religious because it mentions medical or personal considerations alongside faith. If religion is plausibly part of the request, Title VII's protections are in play.
For employees whose accommodation requests were rejected as not genuinely religious, the decision states the pleading standard in the Seventh Circuit.
This was a procedural ruling on the pleadings: the Seventh Circuit reversed the dismissal and returned the case to the district court. It is not a final judgment, a damages award, or a settlement.