Hearst Television earned a partial win Monday as a U.S. District Court dismissed many of the claims brought forth in a lawsuit by a former videographer at its flagship broadcast TV station in Boston who sued the station following his 2021 job loss for not adhering to corporate COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
It is a setback for George Rodrique, who worked at points for WCVB-5 in Boston, the market’s ABC affiliate, as a videographer from 2004 through 2021, when he was terminated.
Why? Hearst made the move after learning Rodrique did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which is a company requirement for all employed by the company. Rodrique claimed he has a religious exemption from the vaccine, but this was allegedly denied by WCVB and Hearst.
Also involved in the initial lawsuit is the director of the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, as he was denied unemployment benefits.
Rodrique accused Hearst and the DUA of religious discrimination and for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act; according to Law360.com Rodrique is a Connecticut resident.
What likely did not pass muster with U.S. District Court was that Rodrique has, in his view, developed his own spiritual guidelines “through an amalgamation of biblical maxims, many other ideologies and spiritual practices, and personal experiences that help to guide him down the proper path in life.”
As such, Rodrique’s beliefs required him to avoid “polluting” his body with foreign substances, particularly those that are manmade and do not exist in nature, according to the complaint.
“Mr. Rodrique believes that God has given humans natural immunity, and that commercial vaccines created, owned, and marketed by profit-making corporations intrude on God’s sacred place within the temple of the human body,” the complaint explained.
While that did not pass muster with Hearst Rodrique argued that the station could have accommodated him by giving him more assignments that did not require him to interact with other people, transferring him to helicopter videography, or having him film using a drone, Boston.com reported.
Naturally, Rodrique said Hearst’s decision to end his employment caused financial strain. But, he noted in the complaint, “[this] pales in comparison with the terrible emotional effect that being discriminated against by Hearst has had on Mr. Rodrique, and on his entire family.”
A Hearst spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
