The US Navy on Wednesday settled a long-running lawsuit with SEALs and sailors who refused the COVID-19 jab on religious grounds, according to lawyers representing the servicemembers.

Military.com

In a statement from First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit that defends religious freedoms, and the law firm Hacker Stephens LLP, the Navy will expunge the record of sailors who refused the jab on religious grounds and has pledged not to discriminate against the servicemembers who did so for promotions for the next three years.

The agreement also requires the Navy to pay $1.5M in attorney's fees, as well as to publish a public statement on its website about its acceptance of religious beliefs, the lawyers said.

USNI News

The lawsuit traces its way back to 2021 when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mandated that all servicemembers be immunized against COVID-19. Soon after, a district judge in a class action suit then quashed the Navy's ability to punish servicemembers for refusing to be jabbed and this was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The US Supreme Court then rejected the finding and although the mandates were lifted in 2023, the Fifth Circuit said the case could continue so that the Navy's record on religious accommodations could be considered.

US Navy Settles Lawsuit with SEALs, Sailors Who Refused COVID-19 Jab

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US Navy Settles Lawsuit with SEALs, Sailors Who Refused COVID-19 Jab

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