Delgado & Fernández Secures Dismissal of Religious Discrimination Claims Against American Military Academy In Relation to Enforcement of COVID 19 Vaccine Mandates

Our attorneys recently prevailed in the matter of Rosario-Velázquez v. Corporación Educativa Ramón Barquín et al, Civil No. 23-1347 before the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Plaintiff was employed by American Military Academy (AMA) in Puerto Rico and terminated in 2021 for failing to comply with the vaccination requirements for private employers mandated by the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDOH) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Complaint included claims of religious workplace discrimination, wrongful termination, and retaliatory measures under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and local Puerto Rico employment statutes Law 80, Law 100, and Law 115. Defendants moved to dismiss the case, stating that religious workplace accommodations were not at issue. Rather, it was a case of nondiscretionary requirements imposed by the PRDOH as a matter of public health and safety.

United States District Judge Pedro A. Delgado Hernández issued an Opinion and Order in favor of AMA dismissing the case in its entirety, with prejudice. The Court found that plaintiff did not establish sufficient legal basis to support her claims and concluded that AMA’s actions were nondiscriminatory and nonretaliatory since they were based on mandatory governmental health regulations.

AMA was represented in this matter by the Head of the Litigation Practice Group, Alfredo Fernández Martínez and Senior Associate Attorneys, David J. González Casas and Alejandra M. Arnaldy Figueroa.

Should you have any questions about this decision and its implications for your business, please contact our Labor and Employment Practice Team.