Court Dismisses Bias Lawsuit Over COVID Policies Filed By Ex-Princeton Employee

PRINCETON, NJ — Last week the U.S. District Court of NJ ruled against a former Princeton University employee who filed a religious discrimination lawsuit over COVID-19 policies.

In August last year, Princeton University was hit by a religious discrimination lawsuit by former employee Kate McKinley who alleged that the institution denied her religious exemption from COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and mask mandates.

McKinley, who worked as a budget analyst, said she faced “discriminatory treatment and harassment” at the workplace due to her religion and was fired for objecting to COVID-19 mitigation policies set by the University.

But on Dec. 1, U.S District Judge Michael A. Shipp dismissed the suit for the second time, the first being in April this year.

According to Shipp, the “Plaintiffs alleged opposition to the COVID-19 Policies is not based on religion and, therefore, is not protectable under Title VII or the NJLAD.”

The story was first reported by the Daily Princetonian.

After the suit was dismissed the first time in April, McKinley filed an amended complaint in May saying she “holds . . . sincere religious beliefs that her body is a temple, (that) she decries and does all that she can to abolish any and all abuse against life and Mankind, and (that she) decries the suppression of knowledge, wisdom, philosophy, or data which would help Mankind.”

In the complaint, McKinley noted that she informed Princeton University that their policy requiring asymptomatic testing would be “disrespectful to her body” because it would “forcibly provide her DNA through the saliva testing to be utilized by other individuals or entities without her knowledge or consent.”

However, the court noted that McKinley’s beliefs “appear to be a collection of general moral commandments.”

“Such a “personal moral code” does not address any “fundamental and ultimate question,” nor does the Amended Complaint allege that these beliefs caused Plaintiff to think about any “deep and imponderable matters,” the court said.

In her original lawsuit, McKinley alleged that she faced “discriminatory treatment and harassment” at the workplace due to her religion and was fired for objecting to COVID-19 mitigation policies

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Princeton University mandated the COVID-19 vaccine to all students and employees including faculty, appointed visiting faculty and researchers, temporary employees, and independent contractors.

The University said it would grant exemptions due to a “disability, medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief.” However, the University’s asymptomatic testing program required staff, students and faculty to be tested on a regular basis.

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