A federal judge approved a class-action settlement between Ascension and a group of employees to resolve claims that workers were allegedly denied religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
Employees filed suit against Ascension Michigan — part of St. Louis-based Ascension — and several affiliates in July 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, claiming some workers were allegedly put on an unpaid leave of absence the previous year.
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Judge Jane M. Beckering this week approved the settlement agreement, which called for plaintiffs to receive up to five weeks' pay, reflective of the time many spent suspended from work, apart from administrative and legal representative fees.
Rust Consulting, a legal consulting agency, was named as the claims administrator of the suit and awarded more than $54,000 for its service fees, according to the Nov. 4 final order and judgment from Beckering. The firm will serve as the liaison between class members and Ascension. The class' attorneys will receive one-third of the total settlement payment after Rust Consulting's fees.
Ascension Michigan recently closed a $10.5 billion joint venture deal under which eight hospitals, all of which were named in the original complaint, will be operated by Henry Ford Health. Ascension Northern Michigan's hospitals, also named in the original complaint, were sold in August to Midland-headquartered MyMichigan Health.
Ascension did not respond to a request for comment. Henry Ford Health declined to provide comment, and MyMichigan Health directed questions to Ascension.
