9th Circuit: Religious exemptions properly denied

SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit finds that a Washington federal court was correct to grant summary judgment to a regional healthcare system in a Title VII action brought by employees who were denied religious exemptions from a Covid-19 vaccination policy. The panel concluded that Title VII requires employers to make reasonable accommodation for their employees’ religious beliefs unless the accommodation causes “undue hardship.” The healthcare system did show undue hardship due to a predicted surge of hospitalizations across its locations owed to the Delta strain of Covid-19.