An Essex County jury found the county discriminated against longtime hospital groundskeeper Theodore DeBlasio after denying his request for a religious exemption from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ – An Essex County jury has returned a unanimous verdict in favor of a former county hospital employee who claimed he was fired after his religious exemption from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate was denied, according to a statement released by his attorneys.
Theodore “Teddy” DeBlasio, a longtime groundskeeper at the Essex County Hospital Center, was awarded more than $670,000 for economic and emotional harm, according to Coyle Law Group, P.C. Attorneys’ fees are expected to be added separately.
Jury finds religious discrimination
The verdict followed litigation over DeBlasio’s request for a religious exemption from the county’s vaccine requirement. His attorneys said the jury concluded that Essex County discriminated against him on the basis of religion when officials rejected the request.
DeBlasio, who was raised Catholic and describes himself as Christian, told the court that his objection was based on sincerely held religious beliefs concerning vaccines he believed were tested or developed using fetal cell lines, according to the law firm’s statement.
The case, DeBlasio v. Essex County, was filed in New Jersey Superior Court under docket number ESX-L-5665-22. Information about civil cases and court procedures is available through the New Jersey Judiciary.
Attorneys point to different treatment of exemption requests
DeBlasio’s lawyers argued at trial that the county handled religious exemption requests differently depending on employees’ faiths. The law firm said evidence presented to jurors showed Christian and Catholic requests were denied in February 2022 while Muslim employees received exemptions.
The firm further argued that the county considered DeBlasio, whose job involved groundskeeping work such as cutting grass, planting flowers, removing snow and raking leaves, a health and safety risk. At the same time, the attorneys said, unvaccinated employees in patient-facing positions were permitted to continue working if they followed masking and testing requirements.
Those assertions reflect the plaintiff’s trial position as summarized by his attorneys. Shore News Network has not independently reviewed the full trial record or a response from Essex County.
“Would Essex County have treated Mr. DeBlasio’s request differently?”
Attorney John D. Coyle focused his closing argument on whether DeBlasio’s exemption request would have received different treatment if he belonged to another faith.
“Would Essex County have treated Mr. DeBlasio’s request differently had he been Muslim?” Coyle asked the jury, according to the firm.
The law firm said jurors unanimously answered in DeBlasio’s favor after hearing evidence from witnesses of different faiths and backgrounds.
Verdict exceeds $670,000
Coyle Law Group said the jury awarded DeBlasio more than $670,000 in damages tied to lost economic benefits and emotional harm. The firm described the verdict as New Jersey’s first jury verdict involving a COVID-19 religious exemption case, although that characterization could not be independently verified from the materials provided.
New Jersey employment discrimination claims may fall under the state’s Law Against Discrimination, which bars employment discrimination based on protected characteristics including creed. The statute is available through the New Jersey Legislature.