Supreme Court to decide on hearing case regarding Memorial Hospital employees fired for refusing COVID vaccine

Supreme Court to weigh Houston Methodist vaccine firings

The Supreme Court is expected to decide on Friday whether to hear the case of numerous Houston Methodist employees who were terminated in April 2021 for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. 

HOUSTON - In April 2021, employees of Methodist Hospital got an email instructing them to get the COVID vaccine or face termination.

What they're saying:

"From the moment I got that email, there was no way I was going to take that shot," said Jennifer Bridges, who had been a nurse at Baytown Methodist Hospital for eight and a half years. "I was not comfortable with it by any means, and I told them I am not taking it."

Bridges became one of more than 100 employees, contractors and vendors with Methodist who became part of a class action lawsuit. 

Methodist became one of the first health care systems in the U.S. to implement a vaccine mandate.

The legal arguments made in the class action suit went nowhere. Every court has ruled in favor of Methodist.

A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, stating employees had a choice: get vaccinated or work someplace else.

On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States will decide if it will hear the case or end the lengthy legal battle for good.

The other side:

In a statement on Houston Methodist provided FOX 26 a statement saying, "We treated tens of thousands of COVID-19 patients during the pandemic and mandating the vaccine for the protection of our patients and staff was the right thing to do. We stand by our commitment to keep our patients, staff and community safe."