Chattanooga Jury Awards $687,240 To Former BlueCross Employee Who Was Fired For Refusing COVID Vaccine - BlueCross Responds

  • Monday, July 1, 2024
A Chattanooga woman who sued BlueCross BlueShield after she was fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine has been awarded $687,240 by a Federal Court jury.

 

The Chattanooga jury found that BlueCross “did not prove by a preponderance of the evidence either that it had offered a reasonable accommodation to Plaintiff or that it could not reasonably accommodate the Plaintiff’s religious beliefs without undue hardship.”
 
Tanja Benton was awarded $177,240 in back pay, $10,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.
 
Ms. Benton worked at BlueCross, mainly as a statistical research scientist, from 2005 through her termination in November of 2021.
 
In her lawsuit, she said she did not regularly come into contact with people. She said she worked from home for a year and a half during the pandemic.

 

"We’re disappointed by the decision," said Dalya Qualls White, senior vice president and chief communications officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. "We believe our vaccine requirement was the best decision for our employees and members, and we believe our accommodation to the requirement complied with the law.  We appreciate our former employees’ service to our members and communities throughout their time with our company."

 
A number of other terminated BlueCross employees have filed a class action suit on similar complaints.
 
Between October and November 2021, BlueCross terminated 41 of their employees after
implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for 900 "customer facing roles."
 
Judge Charles Atchley presided over the case.
Breaking News
Latest Hamilton County Arrest Report
  • 4/4/2025

Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report. (If your case is dismissed, just email us your name and date we ran it and we will promptly take off. Email to news@chattanoogan.com ) BLUE,JAMES ... more

Arrest Made In Numerous Car Break-Ins At UTC
Arrest Made In Numerous Car Break-Ins At UTC
  • 4/3/2025

An arrest has been made in connection with numerous auto burglaries at the UTC campus. On Wednesday, the UTC Police Department and the Chattanooga Police Department executed a search warrant ... more

100 Years Of Radio In Chattanooga
100 Years Of Radio In Chattanooga
  • 4/3/2025

Radio has been described as the “theater of the mind” and certainly, sometimes, leaves a lot to one’s imagination. April 13 th , 1924, two men from Ohio came to Chattanooga to begin a century ... more