KEY POINTS:
• Federal jury awarded $4,018,175 to 13 St. Louis Public Schools employees who were denied religious exemptions, according to Children’s Health Defense
• The verdict included $1,018,175 in actual damages and $2,990,000 in punitive damages, Children’s Health Defense reported
• Similar victories have occurred nationwide, including a $12.7 million award in Michigan and $687,240 in Tennessee, according to multiple sources
A federal jury in St. Louis has awarded more than $4 million to 13 current and former St. Louis Public Schools employees who were denied religious exemptions from the district’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to Children’s Health Defense on July 11, 2025.
The 13 employees were among 43 plaintiffs who sued the district in June 2022 for allegedly violating their First Amendment rights, their due process and equal protection rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Missouri Human Rights Act. In late June, jurors voted in favor of the plaintiffs on all counts, awarding them $1,018,175 in actual damages and $2,990,000 in punitive damages.
According to KMOX radio on July 3, 2025, attorney Kevin Kasper, who represented the employees, called this a win for the public. “Whether its a school district or city employer or other government entity, if you allow them to whittle away at the constitutional rights that people have eventually you aren’t going to have any left.”
“I’m glad we got our day in court,” said Wanda Brandon, a teacher who was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. “The main thing was to show the district that what they did was wrong, to just totally ignore the religious exemption request.”
Background of the Mandate
According to Children’s Health Defense, SLPS announced its vaccine mandate in August 2021, requiring employees to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The district implemented the policy in October 2021, requiring all staff to be vaccinated unless they had medical or religious exemptions.
Natural News reported on July 14, 2025 that “They accepted medical, but they discriminated against us,” said lead plaintiff Wanda Brandon, a district secretary. “They chose to deny every single religious exemption that submitted.” According to the same source, former HR Director Charles Burton admitted under oath that not a single religious exemption was granted.
Legal Proceedings and Settlements
The claims of 13 other employees resulted in a jury trial, which lasted 11 days. The jury deliberated for 14 hours before reaching a verdict. Most of the 43 employees previously reached settlements ranging from $25,000 to $90,000 each, St. Louis Today reported.
According to Children’s Health Defense, In June 2023, a federal court ruled in favor of the employees, opening the door for them to pursue settlements with the district. The publication reported that U.S. Chief District Judge Stephen R. Clark wrote: “Restrictions impermissibly infringing on constitutional rights, like the right to freely exercise one’s religion, spread across the country like a virus.”
Similar Cases Nationwide
The St. Louis verdict follows several similar rulings across the country. According to the Washington Examiner on July 1, 2024, A federal jury found that BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee improperly fired an employee for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and awarded her nearly $700,000.
CBS Detroit reported on an unspecified date that Lisa Domski filed a lawsuit in August 2023 through the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, alleging that the health system fired her after she refused to get the vaccine due to religion. According to the same source, Marko says Domaski was awarded $13 million — $10 million in punitive damages, $1.3 million in front pay, $1 million for pain and suffering, and $315,000 in back pay.
First Liberty reported on July 30, 2024 that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled in favor of Rachel Spivack, who was fired for refusing to receive the Covid-19 vaccination because of her Orthodox Jewish faith. The Court reversed the District Court’s decision, which ruled in favor of Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner, holding that Rachel is entitled to a trial because Krasner’s decision arose from religious hostility.
Public Opinion Shift
A report released Jan. 28 describing the differences between the 2019 and 2025 surveys revealed that roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (63%) in 2025 “somewhat or strongly support” a law allowing parents in their state to choose not to vaccinate their children for medical reasons, according to Children’s Health Defense on February 3, 2025, citing an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey.
Public support for religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements also doubled, from 20% in 2019 to 39% in 2025.
Looking Forward
According to Children’s Health Defense, Kasper acknowledged the likelihood of an appeal, citing the size of the jury award as a likely factor.
Brandon said she hopes St. Louis Public Schools have “learned a lesson and will never try this practice again when it comes to people’s religious exemptions.”
SOURCES
- Children’s Health Defense – “Jury Awards $4 Million to St. Louis School Employees Denied Religious Exemptions From COVID Vaccine” – July 11, 2025 URL: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/st-louis-public-school-workers-denied-covid-vaccine-religious-exemption-jury-award-4-million/
- KMOX Radio (Audacy) – “Judge orders SLPS to payout millions to employees over COVID vaccine mandate” – July 3, 2025 URL: https://www.audacy.com/kmox/news/local/judge-orders-slps-to-payout-millions-over-vaccine-mandate
- Natural News – “Federal jury awards $4 million to St. Louis school employees denied religious vaccine exemptions” – July 14, 2025 URL: https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-07-14-jury-school-employees-denied-religious-exemptions.html
- Washington Examiner – “BlueCross BlueShield told to pay former employee $700,000” – July 1, 2024 URL: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/finance-and-economy/3066135/bluecross-blueshield-pay-700000-employee-fired-refusing-covid-vaccine/
- CBS Detroit – “Former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee who refused COVID-19 vaccine awarded $13 million” – Date not specified URL: https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/woman-awarded-13-million-in-blue-cross-blue-shield-of-michigan-lawsuit/
- First Liberty – “Rachel Spivack” – July 30, 2024 URL: https://firstliberty.org/cases/rachel-spivack/
- Children’s Health Defense – “Public Support for Religious Exemptions Nearly Doubled Over Past 6 Years” – February 3, 2025 URL: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/religious-exemptions-vaccines-nearly-doubled-6-years/
- St. Louis Today – Referenced as secondary source through Children’s Health Defense
- Annenberg Public Policy Center Survey – Referenced as secondary source through Children’s Health Defense
