Fired MGM Resorts Employees File Lawsuits Over Vaccination Requirement
Date: 2024-08-15 Author: Leon Pierce Categories: CASINO
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic a few years ago dealt a significant blow to businesses around the world. Travel restrictions and reduced indoor capacity have had a major impact on the hospitality and gambling industries. Even Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world, has not escaped the impact.
In 2021, after the approval of a vaccine, MGM Resorts International became the first major casino and hospitality company to mandate vaccination for its employees. The company set a deadline of October 15, 2021, for all non-hourly employees to be vaccinated.
However, not all employees agreed with the requirement. A small number of workers objected to mandatory vaccination for religious reasons. Unfortunately, those who failed to comply with the company's requirement were fired.
Now, several former MGM Resorts employees have filed lawsuits claiming that their terminations were wrongful. According to a report published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, six separate complaints were filed in the U.S. District Court for Nevada on the issue between December 2022 and July 2024.
Of those six lawsuits, three have been consolidated into one lawsuit. Two of those wrongful termination lawsuits were filed by MGM Resorts employees on July 10. Now, a federal judge will decide whether to consolidate the newly filed lawsuits with the previously filed cases.
The lawsuits allege violations of state and federal laws
In their lawsuits, the former employees claim that they were wrongfully terminated after refusing to comply with a vaccination requirement due to their religious beliefs. They claim that they had submitted requests for religious exemptions before being fired.
In addition to submitting the initial request for a religious exemption, the former employees also filled out a questionnaire provided by MGM Resorts in which they explained their reasons. Despite their best efforts, their contracts were terminated because failure to comply with the requirement prevented them from continuing their employment, leading to their dismissal.
The dismissed employees included those in positions ranging from casino management and marketing to food service. Some had worked at MGM Resorts for more than seven years, while others had worked for more than 28 years.
All six former employees are represented by attorneys from leading Las Vegas law firm Jennings & Fulton. Ultimately, they allege that MGM violated both state and federal laws related to discrimination.
