04/12/2026
$12.69 MILLION verdict — fired over her faith
A federal jury in Detroit awarded $12.69 million to Lisa Domski, a longtime IT specialist at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, after she was fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.
Domski, a devout Catholic who spent more than 30 years with the company, requested a religious exemption. She said the vaccines were developed or tested using fetal cell lines tied to abortion, which conflicted with her deeply held belief that abortion is a grave sin.
The verdict included:
• $10 million in punitive damages against BCBSM
• $1 million for emotional distress
• About $1.69 million in lost wages, including back pay and future earnings