The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) announced it has reached a financial settlement with Seattle, Washington in a case of alleged religious discrimination against a city employee.
David Body, a city arborist, says he was denied a religious accommodation he requested following the city's 2021 mandate for all city workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
The settlement also includes a directive for the City of Seattle to provide training to its employees on religious liberties and anti-discrimination policies, PJI said in a press release.
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Body worked as an arborist for the city and had a stellar work record, PJI said. Then in October 2021, the city required all employees to be vaccinated unless they obtained a religious or medical exemption. The city's employees had been working with accommodations of masking and testing as a requirement for 18 months prior to the mandate. However, when Body, who worked outdoors, requested the same accommodation, he was denied and subsequently terminated.
Body then asked PJI, a nonprofit law firm to represent him. While going through the discovery process, it became evident that the city could have readily accommodated Body and had discriminated against him, the law firm said.
"Our attorney Tracey Tribbett, did an excellent job of representing our client, and hopefully, other city governments will take note and learn that anti-religious discrimination will not go unchallenged as we continue to represent thousands of people across the country who are similarly being discriminated against," PJI President and Founder Brad Dacus said in a statement.
Tribbett worked on the case with PJI affiliate attorney Jonathan Cherne.
CBN News reached out to the Seattle city attorney's office for comment. In an emailed response, the city attorney's office declined to comment on the settlement.
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