Benton v. Bluecross Blueshield Of Tennessee, Inc.

On June 27, 2024, a jury awarded Tanja Benton $687,240 in damages. The jury found that BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee failed to accommodate her religious beliefs regarding the COVID-19 vaccination.

Case Background

The lawsuit was filed on May 16, 2022 by Plaintiff Tanja Benton in the United States District Court, Tennessee State (Case number: 1:22cv118) and was presided over by the Judge Charles E Atchley, Jr and referred to Judge Susan K Lee. Tanja Benton, a Bio Statistical Research Scientist at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, was terminated in November 2021. This followed the denial of her request for a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. She filed Religious discrimination lawsuit, citing her successful remote work and minimal client interaction.

Cause

Tanja Benton worked at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) from July 2005 to November 4, 2021. She served as a Bio Statistical Research Scientist since July 2007. Her role primarily involved independent work, with only about 1% of her time (approximately 25 hours annually) dedicated to client interactions. Benton’s client portfolio typically consisted of 10-12 clients. Most interactions were limited to one annual meeting lasting no more than two hours. She never worked in medical facilities where patients were treated. Many client meetings were conducted remotely via phone or video conference. When the COVID-19 pandemic began on March 16, 2020, BCBST mandated that Benton work entirely from home. For 19 months, she successfully performed all job duties remotely without any complaints or issues. On August 27, 2021, BCBST implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees. Benton,