The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Advocate Aurora Health, alleging the system unlawfully fired a nurse in 2021 over its COVID-19 vaccine policy.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, stems from the health system’s vaccine mandate during the delta variant surge. The nurse, who worked at an Illinois facility, applied for a religious exemption that was denied, despite having previously received an exemption for the flu vaccine, according to a Dec. 18 court filing. She was terminated in October 2021 after an unsuccessful appeal.
Advocate Aurora — now part of Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health — was among several systems that implemented vaccine mandates in 2021. The EEOC is seeking reinstatement, back pay and other relief. The agency said it found probable cause for a legal violation in 2024 and pursued settlement efforts into mid-2025 before filing its lawsuit.
In a statement to Becker’s, Advocate Aurora said it is “confident that our pandemic response was consistent with all applicable laws and regulations,” adding that the allegations stem from 2021 policies “during the height of the pandemic” that have since changed. The system said it has no further comment “out of respect for the legal process.”
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