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WCVB cameraman’s termination over COVID vaccine deemed justified
A federal appeals court found that accommodating George Rodrique would have been a costly burden for WCVB.
Hearst was justified in terminating a former WCVB cameraman who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine after the station’s parent company denied him a religious exemption, a federal appeals court ruled earlier this month.
George Rodrique sued Hearst Stations and Hearst Communications, WCVB’s owner, in late 2022 over his termination the year prior. First reported by Universal Hub, the Jan. 17 U.S. Court of Appeals decision backs up a 2024 lower court ruling, which tossed Rodrique’s lawsuit and sided with Hearst.
Previously:
In his original complaint, Rodrique said he’s developed his own spiritual guidelines “through an amalgamation of biblical maxims, many other ideologies and spiritual practices, and personal experiences that help to guide him down the proper path in life.” He explained those beliefs require him, in part, to avoid “polluting” his body with “substances that do not exist in nature.”
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Yet Rodrique also admitted to receiving vaccinations and taking man-made medications in the past, Judge Richard G. Stearns pointed out in a Feb. 22, 2024, U.S. District Court ruling.
“No reasonable juror could plausibly find this belief ‘religious,’” Stearns wrote, adding, “At best, it reflects a personal medical judgment about the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination rigged out with religious verbiage.”
The appeals court changed tack, asserting that even assuming Rodrique had shown a religious objection to the vaccine, accommodating him would have been a costly burden for WCVB.
The station expanded its fleet of vehicles during the pandemic so employees could travel separately to news scenes, the court noted. WCVB allowed vaccinated employees to travel together starting in September 2021, but Rodrique’s team was excluded because he was unvaccinated.
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“It cost WCVB-TV over $7,000 for Rodrique to maintain his own vehicle from May 2021 to November 2021, including over $2,000 in fuel,” the court’s decision said.
Hearst also implemented a “proof or test” policy in August 2021, requiring employees to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly COVID-19 tests, according to the court document. The policy ended later that year, and Rodrique requested a religious exemption only after he was unsuccessful in obtaining a medical exemption from his doctor, the appeals court said.
He parted ways with WCVB in November 2021 after five years with the station.
And while Rodrique had argued Hearst provided insufficient evidence that COVID-19 vaccines reduce transmission of the virus, the court determined the company “reasonably relied on objective medical evidence, including public health guidance from the federal government and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, when it set its vaccine policy.”
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