Raleigh-based UNC Health Rex, a private, nonprofit health system that is part of Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health, has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged religious discrimination.
The lawsuit was filed after negotiations to resolve the issue failed. The suit claims that UNC Health Rex violated federal law by not accommodating an employee's religious beliefs and terminated her for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a Dec. 26 EEOC news release.
"UNC Health is reviewing the lawsuit. However, it is our policy to avoid commenting on pending litigation," a spokesperson for UNC Health said in a Dec. 26 statement shared with Becker's.
In 2021, UNC Health Rex implemented a policy that required all of its employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, unless granted a disability or religious-related exemption. The employee involved in the lawsuit worked remotely and had sought a religious exemption after previously receiving a flu vaccine exemption based on religious beliefs.
The employee was fired for vaccine mandate non-compliance after submitting multiple explanations and requests, which were ultimately denied.
The EEOC argues that the actions violated title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to accommodate an employee's religious practices unless doing so would impose an undue burden on the employer.
UNC Health bought Rex Healthcare in 2000, which became UNC Health Rex in 2020. UNC Health Rex presently operates multiple facilities throughout North Carolina, including Apex, Cary, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Wakefield and Raleigh.