Two Anti-Vaccine Beverly Hills Firefighters File Lawsuit

BEVERLY HILLS, CA —Calling COVID-19 vaccines "experimental gene modification therapies," two Beverly Hills firefighters are suing the city of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles County over its COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers and first responders, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was brought Friday by Beverly Hills firefighters Josh Sattley and Ettore Berardinelli Jr. and an organization called Protection for the Educational Rights of Kids (PERK), which is dedicated to empowering educators and parents to take an active role in education-centered legislation, according to its website.

The lawsuit is calling for the county's healthcare worker coronavirus vaccination mandate to be declared void, and said the city has no authority to question religious exemptions to the mandate.

The plaintiffs also seek unspecified compensatory damages.

"Firefighters and other first responders have served courageously throughout the COVID-19 pandemic," said Scott Street, the attorney for the plaintiffs, according to the LA Times. "They were on the front lines when others sheltered in place. They earned the right to be heard but, in enforcing the county's unlawful mandate, the city of Beverly Hills has largely ignored them and put politics before facts."

In August, Muntu Davis, the county's health officer, issued an order requiring all health care workers, including firefighters, in Los Angeles County get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Some employers have recognized requests for religious and medical exemptions. In Beverly Hills, eight of the 22 firefighters who filed for a religious exemption from the vaccine have been denied, according to the lawsuit.

Sattley is one who was denied this request, and he has been placed on unpaid leave after continuing to refuse the vaccine. The lawsuit alleges the city did not give him a chance to challenge his suspension, violating his due process.

Berardinelli, meanwhile, did receive a religious exemption. However, the lawsuit alleges he has been under constant review by the city and subjected to retaliation, including being assigned to a different job that receives fewer calls.

Keith Sterling, chief communications officer for Beverly Hills, told the LA Times on Saturday that the city had not yet seen the lawsuit.

"The work of emergency first responders puts them on the front lines of patient care," Sterling said.

Sterling added: "The city remains committed to protecting the health of our residents and visitors during this ongoing pandemic."

According to the LA Times, the Beverly Hills Firefighters Association has said that it encourages its members to get COVID-19 vaccines, but that doing so remains "a personal choice."

— City News Service contributed to this report