Tennessee woman awarded nearly $700,000 after being fired for refusing COVID-19 vaccine

A Tennessee woman who was fired from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) for refusing to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for employees has received a settlement worth nearly $700,000.

A federal jury found that Tanja Benton “proved by a preponderance of the evidence” that her decision to refuse the vaccine was based on a “sincerely held religious belief,” according to the settlement obtained by WTVC.

For a total of more than $687,000, the jury awarded Benton more than $177,000 in back pay, $10,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.

Benton, who worked at BCBST from 2005 to November 2022, primarily as a biostatistics researcher, said in her complaint that her job did not include regular contact with people, WTVC reported. She said she only interacted with 10 to 12 clients each year, and sometimes those occasional interactions were not in person.

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A federal jury found that Tanja Benton had “proved by a preponderance of the evidence” that her decision to refuse the vaccination requirement imposed by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee was based on a “sincerely held religious belief.” (Getty Images)

The lawsuit also noted that Benton never had any contact with patients as part of his job.

Benton said she worked from home for a year and a half during the pandemic and had no complaints until BCBST announced employee vaccination requirements.

She refused to get vaccinated, stating in her complaint that she “firmly believes, based on personal research, that all COVID-19 vaccines are derived from aborted fetal cell lines.” Benton said she “cannot in good conscience” receive the vaccine because it would “not only defile her body but also anger and dishonor God.”

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Following BCBST’s announcement of a vaccination requirement, Benton submitted a request for a religious exemption, but the company denied it and told her she would not be able to keep her job if she did not comply.

The jury awarded Tanja Benton more than $177,000 in back pay, $10,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages. (iStock)

Benton appealed and said she had no contact with anyone from her job, but was told there were no exceptions for anyone with her job title. She was also told to start looking for another job, according to the complaint.

BCBST eventually fired Benton, leading her to file a federal lawsuit.

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“Mandating the vaccination requirement was the best decision for the health and safety of our employees and members – some of whom are the most vulnerable in the state – and our communities,” BCBST told WTVC. “We appreciate the service our former employees provided to our members and communities throughout their time at BlueCross.”

Fox News Digital reached out to BCBST, but did not hear back by the time of publication.