Two Companies Face New Religious Lawsuits Over Vaccine Requirements

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is firmly in the rear-view mirror, companies continue to face lawsuits filed by employees who tried to claim religious exemptions to vaccine mandates. Some of these claims may even become class-action lawsuits, and many involve numerous employees who all make the same claims. What do these lawsuits teach us about the conflict between religious freedom and vaccine mandates?

Federal Appeals Court Allows Class-Action Vaccine Lawsuit Against United Airlines

United Airlines, one of the biggest companies in the United States, now faces a class-action vaccine lawsuit thanks to a recent decision by a federal appeals court. On March 10th, 2026, the Human Resources Director reported that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals gave a group of employees the right to pursue a religious discrimination class action against United Airlines. 

These employees claim that although they applied for religious exemptions when facing the company’s vaccine mandate in 2021, they were denied. According to the lawsuit, about 5,900 employees applied for medical or religious exemptions, and approximately 1,900 were denied.

The lawsuit also states that the company adopted different policies depending on whether the employee was “customer-facing” or “non-customer-facing.” Employees who did not come into contact with customers were allowed to continue working despite their lack of vaccination, with masks and regular testing. On the other hand, employees who regularly came into contact with customers were placed on indefinite, unpaid leave for seeking a vaccination exemption. 

If it proceeds, the class action lawsuit will explore whether United Airlines could have offered the employees different accommodations. The fact that the airline adopted two different policies for its workers raises questions about fair and equal treatment. Specifically, the court will have to consider Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and whether the airline offered reasonable accommodations or experienced substantial burdens. 

Five Employees Sue The MITRE Corporation for Denying Religious Vaccine Exemptions

Also in March, the Human Resource Director reported that five former employees of The MITRE Corporation had sued the company for denying their religious exemptions to a vaccine mandate. The plaintiffs claim that the corporation executed its vaccine mandate in 2021, two months before the US government introduced its own federal mandate. Although the company provided employees with a pathway toward applying for religious exemptions, all except one applicant were denied and “marked for termination.” 

The plaintiffs say that although they objected to the vaccine on various religious grounds, the company CEO publicly stated that the bar for religious exemptions was “high.” This CEO is also quoted as saying he could accept the loss of 10% of his workforce to terminations stemming from vaccine refusals. The plaintiffs also say that the company failed to explain why it had denied religious exemptions and offered no option to appeal the decision. 

Perhaps most notably, many of these workers say that they were working remotely even before the pandemic began. The obvious question is why the company was so intent on denying religious exemptions when allowing them would not have placed a substantial burden on its operations. Again, the court will need to examine Title VII to answer these questions.