Actor Rockmond Dunbar is suing Disney and its manufacturing firm twentieth Tv, alleging he was denied a non secular exemption towards the COVID-19 vaccine that led to him exiting the hit Fox present 9-1-1.
Dunbar, 49, had his 9-1-1 contract terminated by studio executives in November amidst new COVID pointers that had been carried out on set the earlier month. He had performed Michael earlier than his character was written off after his departure. Michael had been one of many present's recurring characters because the collection premiered in 2017.
On the time of his exit, Dunbar advised Deadline he was dismissed from the present following alleged cases of discrimination due to his refusal to get the COVID-19 jab. The up to date protocols on the collection required that every one actors on 9-1-1 be totally vaccinated.
Dunbar utilized for each a medical and non secular exemption, the medical exemption reportedly being on account of an undisclosed incapacity. Nonetheless, he claimed that he was pressured off of the present after Disney denied these exemptions.
"I utilized for spiritual and medical lodging pursuant to the legislation and sadly was denied by my employer," Dunbar advised Deadline in an announcement. "My sincerely held beliefs and personal medical historical past are very intimate and private elements of my life that I don't publicly focus on and don't have any want to begin now."
Within the lawsuit filed Thursday, additional particulars of Dunbar's allegations had been revealed in courtroom paperwork. This consists of the assertion that, as a follower of the Church of Common Knowledge, he's forbidden from receiving vaccines.
Following Disney's denial of those exemptions, the lawsuit claims the corporate engaged in alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act after they retaliated towards Dunbar. This consists of the declare that Disney mischaracterized the motives behind Dunbar's refusal to get the vaccine.
"[Disney] summarily terminated Mr. Dunbar's employment settlement, and refused to pay him the a whole bunch of hundreds of dollars which can be nonetheless owed to him," the lawsuit states. "He believes that [Disney] wrongfully leaked damaging info to the media about his departure from 9-1-1 together with that he sought each spiritual and medical exemptions that had been denied."
"Defendants intentionally made it sound like Mr. Dunbar was a recalcitrant anti-vaxxer, moderately than current the reality—that like tens of millions of different People, he's a honest adherent to a non-mainstream spiritual perception that forestalls him from being vaccinated," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit additionally claims that Dunbar, who's Black, was moreover discriminated towards due to his race. An additional declare said that white actors on the present who had utilized for related exemptions had gotten theirs granted.
"On info and perception, Disney has a historical past of racial discrimination, and Mr. Dunbar was subjected to disparate therapy and disparate affect discrimination on the idea of his race," the lawsuit states. "On info and perception, non-minority staff equally located weren't topic to termination after they refused the COVID-19 vaccine."
Disney executives have denied that race performed an element within the option to terminate Dunbar's contract.
In an announcement despatched to Newsweek, twentieth Tv stated: "To make sure secure working environments at our productions now we have carried out a compulsory vaccination affirmation course of. Whereas we is not going to touch upon anybody particular person, every request for exemption is given an intensive evaluate and we grant lodging per our authorized obligations. There are not any variations in our course of or decision-making based mostly on an worker's race."
An agent for Dunbar additionally despatched Newsweek an announcement saying that the lawsuit was "not concerning the firm's proper as a non-public entity to enact a compulsory vaccination coverage, neither is it about vaccines."
"What that is about, are studios following federal legislation and honoring the settlement between the unions and producers of their 'Return to Work' protocols by affording every worker no matter race/faith/medical incapacity, or sincerely held beliefs, the correct to a good, simply, and equal interactive course of freed from the private and political bias, discrimination and retaliation by these throughout the firm assigned to supervise such processes - Mr. Dunbar was denied this chance," the assertion continued.
Replace (02/17/2022, 9:30 p.m. ET): This story has been up to date with an announcement from Dunbar's agent.
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