The Herald Leader reports Laurie Ann DeVore is taking UK to federal civil court over repeated denials of her requests for accommodations of her “deeply held religious beliefs.”
The former employee with the school’s Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women says in the suit that she objected to UK’s policy, which required that employees either get vaccinated or get tested weekly. DeVore reportedly sought a religious exemption on multiple occasions, and when denied, inquired about working from home, but was ultimately told in January that she would terminated by the end of the month if she didn’t comply – forcing her retirement.
Court documents say the school ended the mandatory weekly testing for unvaccinated employees in April and DeVore filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. In the suit, she’s seeking compensation for loss of income, benefits, and emotional stress.
UK spokesman Jay Blanton told the Leader the school had yet to receive the litigation and could not comment.
