In a potentially landmark case for Hollywood, Rockmond Dunbar, former actor of the hit television series “911,” is taking 20th Television to court over alleged religious discrimination.
The case centers on his dismissal for non-compliance with Covid-19 vaccination requirements after his request for a religious exemption was rejected.
U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ruled Friday that 20th Television, a subsidiary of Disney, may have unlawfully discriminated against Dunbar based on his religious beliefs as a follower of the Church of World Wisdom, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The upcoming trial will thoroughly examine the sincerity of Dunbar’s religious beliefs against the vaccine mandate and whether the firm could have accommodated his beliefs without undue difficulty.
The controversy began when Dunbar was fired from the “911” series for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, which was part of return-to-work protocols agreed upon by movie studios and Hollywood corporations.
Dunbar’s lawsuit, filed in 2022 against 20th and Disney, owner of the television production arm of 20th Century Studios (later dismissed from the case), challenges the denial of his exemption request.
Although the court dismissed Dunbar’s other claims of racial discrimination, retaliation and breach of contract, the religious discrimination charge remains a significant test case.
The Hollywood Reporter reported:
If 20th is found to have engaged in religiously discriminatory practices in the process, the decision could threaten how studios address exemptions to vaccination requirements if they are reimplemented in the future. Dunbar said his exemption request was denied after Disney determined he was not a true believer in the Church of Universal Wisdom.
A request for exemption from General Hospital Ingo Rademacher, who was fired from the series after refusing the vaccine, was similarly rebuffed after Disney, which owns ABC, questioned the sincerity of his belief in a book called The Revelation of Ramala. Disney appears to have reviewed exemption requests on a case-by-case basis, investigating whether the religions constituted actual religious institutions and whether the applicants actually followed the beliefs.
In 2022, Dunbar sued 20th and Disney, which owns the television production arm of 20th Century Studios and was dismissed from the case, after being fired for refusing to comply with vaccine obligations. Return-to-work protocols, agreed upon by Hollywood corporations and studios, stipulated that vaccines could be required for those working in Zone A of a production, typically the lead actors on a project, as well as key crew members who they work closely with them. in the highest risk areas of the set.
In response to an alleged violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion and sex, among other things, the 20th challenged the sincerity of Dunbar’s beliefs. He pointed out that he had repeatedly taken actions contrary to the tenets of the Church of Universal Wisdom by undergoing certain medical procedures less than a year before refusing the vaccine.
Dunbar responded by stating that he was in communion with God, who would make exceptions and “allow.” [him] do otherwise,” he testified to the court. According to the actor, he was also told “that the COVID-19 vaccine was created by evil and that it will compromise [his] spirit and that it wasn’t for [him].”
The court expressed skepticism about such claims, explaining that communicating with God is not a “blanket privilege that undermines our system of ordered liberty.” He also noted that Dunbar’s original request for exemption mentioned only unspecified medical issues, not any type of religious objection.