ESPN Sued Over Vaccination Mandates By Former Sideline Reporter And Producer

deadline.com:

Two former ESPN employees are suing ESPN in federal court, alleging its COVID-19 vaccine requirement violated religious freedom rights, according to reports.

ESPN and its parent The Walt Disney Company are defendants in the lawsuit filed in US District Court in Connecticut Wednesday by former ESPN sideline reporter Allison Williams and ex-producer Beth Faber.

Front Office Sports broke the story. Williams and Faber were fired by ESPN in late 2021.  “Forcing [the] plaintiffs to choose between continuation of their employment and a violation of their religious beliefs in order to retain their livelihoods imposes a substantial burden on plaintiffs’ ability to conduct themselves in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs,” attorney Christopher Dunn wrote in the complaint.

Williams said at the time that she chose not to take the vaccine because she and her husband were trying to have a second child. “This was a deeply difficult decision to make and it’s not something I take lightly,” she said at the time. “I understand vaccines have been essential in the effort to end this pandemic; however, taking the vaccine at this time is not in my best interest.