A former employee is taking legal action against a major airline, claiming wrongful termination over religious beliefs. Nathan Bement filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida on May 8, 2024, against United Airlines, Inc. He alleges that the airline violated his rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Florida Civil Rights Act by failing to accommodate his religious beliefs regarding COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
The case revolves around Bement's assertion that United Airlines did not honor his request for a religious exemption from their COVID-19 vaccine mandate. According to Bement, he had been an employee in good standing since January 16, 1989, working as a Sheet Metal Line Technician at Orlando International Airport. However, when United implemented its vaccine policy in August 2021, requiring employees to be vaccinated or seek an exemption by September 27, 2021, Bement requested an exemption based on his sincerely held religious beliefs.
Bement claims that despite notifying United of his religious objections on September 23, 2021, his request was denied solely because it was deemed untimely. The denial did not specify any deadline that Bement allegedly missed. Subsequently, he faced disciplinary actions and was terminated on December 7, 2021. In response to these events and the lack of engagement in an interactive process to find reasonable accommodation for his beliefs, Bement filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and received a Notice of Right to Sue on February 8, 2024.
Bement accuses United Airlines of religious discrimination and retaliation for exercising his rights under both federal and state laws. He argues that United set arbitrary deadlines for accommodation requests without proper communication or legal basis and failed to consider alternatives that would allow him to continue working without violating his beliefs. Furthermore, he highlights that Florida law requires private employers to provide exemptions upon request but claims United ignored this after asserting federal executive orders took precedence.
In seeking justice from the court, Bement demands damages including back pay and reinstatement or front pay along with punitive damages for what he describes as willful discrimination by United Airlines. He also seeks compensatory damages and injunctive relief alongside reasonable attorney fees.
Representing Nathan Bement are attorneys Rachel Rodriguez from Vires Law Group PLLC in West Palm Beach and Dawn M. Uballe from Disabled Rights Advocates PLLC in Denver. The Case ID is: 1:24-cv-09201.