Discrimination lawsuit filed by nine employees terminated for refusing to get COVID vaccine
TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Nine former Newmont Mining employees are suing the company after they were fired for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
In the lawsuit, the employees claim they requested religious accommodations to be excused from the COVID-19 vaccine, but each request was denied.
"I've got a very strong military background. My convictions, my religious, and my morals were just absolutely no. You know, I, I don't believe it was the right thing to do. I don't believe as a Christian man, it's the right thing to force someone to do," said former employee and plaintiff Jonathan Elliott.
Elliott and the eight other employees all worked at the mining facility in Victor, Colo., ranging from two to 27 years up until January 2022.
The lawsuit outlines a timeline for Newmont's vaccine mandate.
In October 2021, Newmont announced the company-wide mandate, and a few weeks later, a deadline for employees to comply.
According to the lawsuit, employees were told if they didn't receive all COVID-19 doses by the end of January 2022, excluding those with exemptions, they would "be discharged or have the option to resign."
Employees also claim that they were never given an alternative option to the vaccine like frequent testing, wearing masks, or self-monitoring symptoms.
The lawsuit also alleges that the discrimination was intentional, saying "Newmont's unlawful employment practices were willful or done with malice or with reckless indifference to each Plaintiff's rights under the laws of the United States to be free from religious discrimination in employment and retaliation for complaining about discrimination."
In a statement, Newmont responded to the lawsuit by writing:
"CC&V is aware of a lawsuit filed in federal court by former CC&V employees. We will not comment on the specifics of this lawsuit, other than to state that CC&V fully complied with the law with respect to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement and intends to vigorously defend this lawsuit."
Newmont Mining
