x
x
x
x

Tue, November 15, 2022

NBA sued by referees who were fired for refusing Covid-19 vaccine

NBA sued by referees who were fired for refusing Covid-19 vaccine

The NBA has been sued by three former referees who claim they were fired after they refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 on religious grounds. 

Kenny Mauer, Mark Ayotte and Jason Phillips say the league suspended them for the 2021-22 season as all players and employees were required to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The league then removed the mandatory requirement for vaccination ahead of the 2022-23 season by Mauer, Ayotte and Phillips say the league refused to reinstate them as referees. 

The complaint says “Had the NBA not taken upon itself to force faith-based conscientious objectors to adhere to secular norms, none of plaintiffs' complained-of injuries would have manifested. In sum: Plaintiffs were persecuted.” 

The lawsuit accuses the NBA of violating federal civil rights law and New York state and city human rights laws. It seeks front and back pay, punitive damages, and damages for reputational harm and for pain and suffering.

NBA champion Andrew Wiggins originally objected to being vaccinated on religious grounds but due to state laws he would have only been able to play in states where vaccination was mandatory. Despite becoming NBA champion and becoming and All Star he says that he still regrets getting vaccinated. 

Share

Recent News Articles

Tue, March 28, 2023

UK Sport launches Team of Tomorrow campaign alongside Environmental Sustainability Strategy

UK Sport has launched its first Environmental Sustainability strategy which wants high-performance sport to have a net positive impact on the environment by 2040. 

Read More

Tue, March 28, 2023

Latest Developments and the Future of Safeguarding

SESSION ANNOUNCEMENT | Sport Resolutions Annual Conference 2023 in association with Winston & Strawn LLP 

Read More

Fri, March 24, 2023

Gymnastics Ethics Foundation sets new safeguarding standards to protect athletes from abuse and harassment

The GEF, the sport's international investigations agency, issued new safeguarding standards to better protect athletes from abuse and harassment, with a view to the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games

Read More