Lawsuit: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee denied workers religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandate

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — In a federal lawsuit, 3 former employees of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee claim the insurer violated their civil rights when firing them after they were denied a religious exemption from the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Read the full lawsuit below.

The plaintiffs are James Abernathy of Davidson County, Tennessee, Heather Click of Sullivan County, Tennessee and Kerrie Ingle of Soddy-Daisy.

In August of 2021, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) announced a company-wide vaccine mandate. All employees were given 6 weeks to either comply and get the shot, or request an exemption.

In each of their respective accommodation requests, Plaintiffs explained their belief that the COVID-19 vaccines—as well as other vaccines—were developed (either directly or through testing) using fetal cell lines derived from aborted fetal tissue and that it would be sinful to interject such products into their bodies,' the lawsuit says. 'They believe a Christian’s body being surrendered to God is a form of spiritual worship. (See, e.g., Romans 12:1). Plaintiff Heather Click additionally believes that the vaccine causes the body to create proteins God did not intend the body to create, which is in itself a form of disobedience to God.

But the lawsuit says

However, as to each and every employee who requested accommodation on religious grounds, Defendant denied the accommodation….Indeed, Defendant instituted a pattern and practice of denying religious accommodations to the entire class of those who requested accommodations based on their sincerely held religious beliefs, irrespective of such person’s position, accommodations requested, religion practiced, or any other differentiating factor.

The 3 plaintiffs were ultimately fired for not complying with the mandate.

We reached out to BCBST for comment.

A spokeswoman told us via email,

“We do not comment on pending or ongoing litigation, but we are confident that the court will make the right decision in resolving this dispute. The vaccine requirement was the best decision for the health and safety of our employees, our members – some of whom are the most vulnerable in the state – and our communities. Because we serve federally funded programs, our decision was also consistent with the latest guidance requiring our employees to be vaccinated. We appreciate our former employees’ service to our members and communities throughout their time with BlueCross.”

We followed up with the spokeswoman to ask if the claim that all requests for vaccine exemption on religious grounds in the company were denied. We're waiting to hear back, and we'll update our story if and when we do.

Read the full lawsuit below:

https://newschannel9.com/news/local/lawsuit-bluecross-blueshield-of-tennessee-denied-workers-religious-exemptions-from-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-coronavirus-deeply-held-religious-beliefs-insurance-company-fired-james-abernathy-heather-hutton-kerrie-ingle

Lawsuit: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee denied workers religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandat…

A group of former insurance company employees have filed a federal class action lawsuit after alleging they were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, despite believing they should’ve received a religious exemption

Fired Blue Cross workers who refused COVID-19 vaccine mandate may file lawsuit

https://www.westernmassnews.com/video/2023/09/08/former-employees-sue-bcbs-over-vaccine-mandate/

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3149873513501-former-employees-sue-bcbs-over-vaccine-mandate

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/fired-blue-cross-workers-who-refused-vaccine-mandate-may-file-lawsuit

DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED MINNESOTA, DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS ARE DESTROYING THE STATE OF MINNESOTA

Undocumented immigrants in Minnesota can apply for driver’s licenses in October

About 81,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota can begin applying for a driver’s license next month, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

Minnesota’s Driver’s License for All program launches October 1, the department announced at a news conference Thursday.

“We’ll be able to start taking applications for driver’s licenses for all Minnesotans, including those who don’t have lawful presence in the United States,” said Pong Xiong, director of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services.

The state will “no longer require proof of legal presence” starting in October, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said in a news release Tuesday.

Xiong said Thursday that he understands “how important it is to have a driver’s license and what that means to being able to access all of Minnesota’s resources from employment to medical care to … just enjoying all the natural resources that Minnesota has to offer.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill allowing for the expansion of driver license applications in March, according to a release from his office.

“With an estimated 81,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota, the bill will increase safety across Minnesota by ensuring that all drivers are licensed, insured, and have taken driver’s education courses,” the March release stated.

At the time of the signing, the governor said the program “makes sure that our children and families can come out of the shadows and that all Minnesotans have opportunities to thrive, succeed, grow and live their fullest lives in our state.”

Minnesota has more undocumented immigrants than about half the numbers reported in other individual states and Washington, DC, and most of Minnesota’s undocumented immigrants come from Mexico and Central America, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

California has the largest population of undocumented immigrants in the US with more than 2.7 million, the institute reported.

The two states are among 19 as well as DC that have enacted laws allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

https://wsvn.com/news/us-world/undocumented-immigrants-in-minnesota-can-apply-for-drivers-licenses-in-october/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_wsvn

Violent attack spurs a welcome change of heart

A Minneapolis resident and DFL vice chair has apparently reversed her anti-law enforcement stance following a brutal carjacking in her driveway.

Violent attack spurs a welcome change of heart

Earlier this week, in broad daylight, Shivanthi Sathanandan was violently attacked and carjacked by a group of armed young men in the driveway of her Minneapolis home. The attack left Sathanandan with a broken leg, and cuts and bruises over much of her body. Her children witnessed the assault, and her neighbors who tried to come to her aid were allegedly robbed by the assailants as well. According to reports, Sathanandan’s car was abandoned and later recovered by the Minneapolis Police Department.

Notably, Sathanandan is the vice chair of the Minnesota DFL party, which for years has taken a soft on crime, reform based, public safety stance. It’s also the party that has endorsed the likes of local prosecutors and city council members who have championed soft on crime reforms and have openly advocated for the defunding of police and the dismantling of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Sathanandan herself has been a vocal advocate of the “Defund the Police “movement. In 2020 she posted on her Facebook page with Minneapolis City Councilmen Jeremiah Ellison and Phillipe Cunningham.

“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Say it with me. Dismantle. The. Minneapolis. Police. Department.”

Not surprisingly, after the carjacking, Sathanandan has taken on a less than progressive tone.

“I’m now part of the statistics. I wasn’t silent when I fought these men to save my life and my babies, and I won’t be silent now. We need to get illegal guns off of our streets, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city and HOLD THEM IN CUSTODY AND PROSECUTE THEM.”

Those who support law and order, and the value of holding criminals accountable, welcome Sathanandan’s change of position, and honestly wish her well. Perhaps something positive can come out of this tragic situation. It’s frustrating that tragedy must strike before eyes are opened to the value that strong unwavering support for law and order offers society.

Also notable is that this story comes on the heels of yet another attempt by many on the left to suggest “crime is on the decline” in Minneapolis. Just this past weekend, the Star Tribune ran a story, shared on social media by the mayor and others, that parsed out crime data in an attempt to persuade readers that crime in Minneapolis was on its heels.

The truth of the matter is that the crime data in Minneapolis doesn’t accurately quantify or qualify the crime problem in 2023. Crime today has taken on a randomness and heightened level of violence that we’ve never experienced in the past.

Throughout our history, it has been relatively easy to avoid becoming a crime victim in Minneapolis, by avoiding certain areas and avoiding certain activities at certain times of the day. All of that is out the window in 2023, and it has become a reality that doing things that have been traditionally safe like pulling into your garage with your children, walking your dog, going to the grocery store, or doing yard work is just not as safe as it once was — and no chart can change that.

Many DFLers and other advocates of the public safety reform movement have been effective in their efforts to undermine law enforcement and pressure criminal justice system partners to reduce accountability for criminal offenders. Their efforts have brought about a recruitment and retention crisis in local law enforcement, which can accurately be described as defunding the police through attrition.

The Minneapolis Police Department is down nearly 300 officers since 2020 and continues to lose more officers each month than it can attract to the job. That is an unsustainable situation that makes the kind of attack Sathanandan suffered more likely to happen to others — and the fault lies squarely on the shoulders of those who have been so determined to undermine law enforcement.

Of course, the people who bear the brunt of violent crime in our state aren’t often DFL leaders, they are people of color living in some the worst situations our state has to offer. Their plight never seems to be enough to counter the war on cops effort. Perhaps Sathanandan’s attack will serve as a catalyst for those on the left to place more value on strong law and order strategies. Time will tell.

https://www.americanexperiment.org/violent-attack-spurs-a-welcome-change-of-heart/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Violent+carjacking+reverses+anti-police+stance&utm_campaign=Friday+Newsletter+9%2F8&vgo_ee=8VzEy8qMKtWk7ZrWJVZI31gfOTd%2BGsFE1VSI5Xo2%2FgPk8gXLsipNpxk%3D%3Aj9UP%2BKkO6tfEp8qYH2xt9nr2pDo3XoI%2B

MINNESOTANS ARE SICK AND TIRED OF THE MOSLEM FRAUD, SCHOOL LUNCHES, CHILD CARE, MEDICAID, MEDICARE IN OUR STATE…SEND THEM ALL BACK TO THE 3RD WORLD CESSPOOLS THAT THEY CAME FROM AND CREATED ALL BY THEMSELVES ALONG WITH THE QUEEN OF FRAUD, ILHAN OMAR!

Ilhan Omar TIM WALZ & KEITH ELLISON NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED IN THE …$250-$455 MILLION FEEDING OUR FUTURE FRAUD SCANDAL

U.S. Attorney Announces Federal Charges Against 47 Defendants in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme

Nonprofit Feeding Our Future and 200+ Meal Sites in Minnesota Perpetrated the Largest COVID-19 Fraud Scheme in the Nation

The Department of Justice announced today federal criminal charges against 47 defendants for their alleged roles in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following defendants are named in the United States v. Aimee Marie Bock, et al. indictment:

Aimee Marie Bock, 41, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery. Bock was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future. Bock oversaw the $240 million fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship.

Salim Ahmed Said, 33, of Plymouth, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Said was an owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

Abdulkadir Nur Salah, 36, of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Abdulkadir Salah was an owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim, 39, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Omar-Hashim created a company called Olive Management Inc., a site that received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

Abdihakim Ali Ahmed, 36, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Abdihakim Ahmed created ASA Limited LLC, a site that received approximately $5 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

Abdikadir Ainanshe Mohamud, 30, of Fridley, Minnesota, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Mohamud ran the Stigma-Free Willmar site. This site claimed to have served approximately 1.6 million meals and received more than $4 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds………………SEE LINK FOR THE REST OF SOMALIS STEALING OUR MONEY….

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-attorney-announces-federal-charges-against-47-defendants-250-million-feeding-our-future

>>19522851

PART 2

14th guilty plea entered in Feeding Our Future scandal

The latest is Defendant No. 24 (of 60) in the case, Sahra Nur. She was the second person indicted under the S&S Catering group, and ran the nonprofit Academy for Youth Excellence.

The lead defendant in the group, Qamar Hassan, filed guilty plea No. 11 last month. Nur entered a guilty plea on two counts in Federal court in Minneapolis this morning. Sahan Journal was there.

Nur’s nonprofit was located in Hassan’s S&S Catering building (since forfeited and sold) on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Academy for Youth Excellence was founded by Nur in November 2020. The other two principals of Academy for Youth Excellence have pleaded not guilty.

https://www.americanexperiment.org/12th-guilty-plea-entered-in-feeding-our-future-scandal/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Violent+carjacking+reverses+anti-police+stance&utm_campaign=Friday+Newsletter+9%2F8&vgo_ee=c9TnO1a0tkSo21vI0SIulmvAcmpaBdK6r4%2Fi41DCqcgoAnqRJwivlfY%3D%3APTror%2B2KDtG4fBB%2FPedQY%2BhzMRA2kr7Z

https://www.americanexperiment.org/13th-guilty-plea-in-feeding-our-future-case/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Violent+carjacking+reverses+anti-police+stance&utm_campaign=Friday+Newsletter+9%2F8&vgo_ee=USZ%2BF8keruykkq5duBJUBnGYFY1uFQe94VGwPnz2LI5tc7Xo7qeSs%2FE%3D%3ANTeIfnh9gWymzC6d86L%2Bb5ZKNfokbUbC

https://www.americanexperiment.org/14th-guilty-plea-entered-in-feeding-our-future-scandal/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Violent+carjacking+reverses+anti-police+stance&utm_campaign=Friday+Newsletter+9%2F8&vgo_ee=WyFuRiDfy3d1XorEZC3Imkl%2BSyz8At1cVzcEpCicoCR6yEUSKMfXowE%3D%3A34SlGC%2B2udaiRAXHTGklLTDc3pPaE1AF

https://www.americanexperiment.org/indictments-reveal-that-the-scandal-goes-beyond-feeding-our-future/

Two men named in Feeding Our Future fraud investigation donated to Ilhan Omar in 2021. The congresswoman says she recently sent the contributions to food shelves.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjOu7yKtZ-BAxVfj4kEHVJtBisQFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsahanjournal.com%2Fdemocracy-politics%2Ffeeding-our-future-fraud-allegations-campaign-donations-ilhan-omar%2F&usg=AOvVaw16iLuKCV9zbnbhnoMTQ1di&opi=89978449

Is Ilhan Omar involved in the USD 250 million Feeding our Future scam?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVJbb44Kitg

Jensen wants Walz investigated as Feeding Our Future fraud case goes political

Republican candidates for three statewide offices are taking aim at Democrats over the alleged $250 million fraud

https://www.twincities.com/2022/09/26/jensen-wants-walz-investigated-as-feeding-our-future-fraud-case-goes-full-political/

AG Keith Ellison Gets Testy In Interview About 'Feeding Our Future'

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ag-keith-ellison-gets-testy-in-interview-about-feeding-our-future/ar-AA12jn2q

When did Gov. Tim Walz know about the Feeding Our Future fraud?

The Walz administration can’t make up its mind.

https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/09/30/when-did-gov-tim-walz-know-about-the-feeding-our-future-fraud/

https://www.minnpost.com/glean/2022/10/could-feeding-our-future-fraud-have-been-stopped-more-quickly-by-ellison-or-walz/

https://www.pgurus.com/a-somali-scandal-minnesota-millions/

Somali Daycare Fraud & Minnesota Political Correctness

It's called pattern recognition and you're not supposed to notice it.

Twin Cities television station FOX 9 this week broke a story about Somali daycare fraud and the possible support of terrorism abroad that rightly made national news. It claimed that up to 100 million dollars in cash was leaving the MSP airport to various destinations, including some controlled by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabab in Somalia.

$200 Million in Minnesota Somali Welfare Fraud Paid for Trips to Mecca

Daniel Greenfield February 09, 2022

13 Indicted for multi-million dollar medicaid fraud in Minnesota

Saturday March 20, 2021

https://hiiraan.com/news4/2021/Mar/182035/13_indicted_for_multi_million_dollar_medicaid_fraud_in_minnesota.aspx

https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2022/02/200-million-in-minnesota-somali-welfare.html

https://alphanews.org/somali-daycare-fraud-minnesota-political-correctness/

Minnesota Somalis defraud taxpayers $100M; sent to terrorists

May 23, 2018

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/minnesota-somalis-defraud-taxpayers-100m-sent-to-terrorists/