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.The US Navy on Wednesday settled a long-running lawsuit with SEALs and sailors who refused the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.
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.As a part of the agreement, the Navy will erase the record of sailors who declined to comply with the COVID-19 mandate and protect the servicemembers' careers against discrimination on the promotion board.
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.The agreement also requires the Navy to pay $1.5M in attorney's fees and publish a public statement on its website about its acceptance of religious beliefs.