EEOC Files Lawsuit Against Hospital Over Nurse’s COVID-19 Religious Exemption Denial

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a federal lawsuit against Advocate Aurora Health, saying the hospital system violated federal law by firing a nurse who asked for a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the EEOC, Advocate Aurora Health required all employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 unless they had a religious exemption. The nurse requested an exemption, citing her religious beliefs. Although she had previously received a lifetime exemption from the flu vaccine, the hospital denied her request for the COVID-19 vaccine. When she refused the shot based on her beliefs, Advocate Aurora Health terminated her employment.

The EEOC said this violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from discrimination based on religion. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious beliefs unless doing so causes significant hardship to the business.

“Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees’ religious beliefs in the workplace,” said Catherine Eschbach, acting EEOC General Counsel. “An employer must provide accommodations of employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, provided it can do so without undue hardship to the employer’s business. The EEOC will continue to vigorously enforce this keystone law.”

The EEOC filed the lawsuit (EEOC v. Advocate Aurora Health, Inc., Case No. 1:25-cv-15411) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois after first trying to resolve the matter through pre-litigation discussions.

For more information on religious discrimination in the workplace, visit EEOC Religious Discrimination.

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