(The Center Square) – The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine will pay $10.3 million to settle claims from 18 plaintiffs who said they were unlawfully denied religious exemptions from the school’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The plaintiffs, represented anonymously by the Thomas More Society, included former and current employees and students, physicians, medical students, nurses and medical professionals, among others.
After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled that Chancellor Donald Elliman and other defendants violated the plaintiffs’ “clearly established” First Amendment rights, the university agreed to pay damages, tuition and attorney’s fees to all 18 individuals.
“No amount of compensation or course-correction can make up for the life-altering damage Chancellor Elliman and Anschutz inflicted on the plaintiffs and so many others throughout this case, who felt forced to succumb to a manifestly irrational mandate,” Michael McHale, senior counsel at Thomas More Society, said in a statement following the settlement.
The Anschutz School of Medicine defended its original policy, stating in an email to The Center Square that the vaccination requirement was implemented to protect students and faculty and to comply with federal regulations tied to federal funding. The requirement was rescinded once the federal mandate was lifted.
“This policy was grounded in science, public health guidance, and our obligation to safeguard lives during an unprecedented global crisis,” the university said. “While some chose to challenge the policy, the evidence remains clear: Vaccination was essential to protecting the vulnerable, keeping hospitals open, and sustaining education and research.”
According to the Thomas More Society, this marks the first case in the nation in which plaintiffs have recovered monetary damages under the First Amendment related to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“These are kind, compassionate medical professionals who entered their field to serve and care for others, yet they were treated with shocking disregard for their rights and scoffed at for their deeply held beliefs,” said Peter Breen, executive vice president at Thomas More Society. “Because they had the courage to say ‘no’ when their religious freedoms were trampled, people of faith across the country now enjoy stronger protections.”
Following the settlement, the University of Colorado has agreed to now allow students to request religious accommodations on the same terms as employees and will evaluate requests for religious exemptions with the same consideration as medical exemptions, contrary to the university’s actions in this case.
“We stand by the decisions made in that moment and remain deeply grateful to the healthcare professionals, faculty, staff and students whose courage and commitment protected our community and advanced our mission when it mattered most,” the university added.
