A Catholic woman who was fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine has won over $12 million in a Michigan court.

A woman who was fired from her job at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine received nearly $13 million in damages after filing a lawsuit.

Lisa Domski, a 38-year veteran IT specialist at an insurance company in Detroit, received a substantial payout after a federal jury ruled in her favor in a religious discrimination case. She contended that the company refused to grant her an exemption from its 2021 COVID vaccine policy, despite her persistent assertions that it clashed with her Catholic faith.

Jon Marko, Domski's lawyer, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that she had been working remotely during the pandemic and was on a hybrid arrangement prior to the COVID outbreak. As she posed no risk to others, her remote work arrangement should have exempted her from the vaccine policy, he argued.

Marko told Planet Chronicle Digital that this woman, who worked from home in her basement office for 38 years, was not a threat to anyone and fully met all of her job obligations.

Marko alleged that after the policy was implemented, Domski submitted a written statement detailing her religious beliefs and attached the contact information of her priest and parish, but the insurer never followed up.

Domski was fired after refusing to comply with the vaccine mandate, despite the company allegedly denying his accommodation request and threatening termination, he said.

Marko claimed that they decided to discriminate against individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs.

In October 2021, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan implemented a COVID vaccine policy requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated or obtain a religious or medical accommodation.

Newsweek reported that court filings revealed the insurer questioned whether Domski's reluctance to get the vaccine was due to a genuine religious conflict. Meanwhile, Marko told Planet Chronicle Digital that the insurer claimed in court to have been unaware of her Catholic faith at the time of her firing, despite her written statement providing contact information for her spiritual advisor.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan was ordered to pay Domski $10 million in punitive damages, $1.7 million in lost wages, and $1 million in noneconomic damages.

The insurer expressed disappointment in the verdict while defending their vaccine policy in a statement to Planet Chronicle Digital.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and its employees have been promoting the health and safety of colleagues, stakeholders, and communities throughout the pandemic.

"In October 2021, Blue Cross and its subsidiaries implemented a vaccine policy that mandated all employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or obtain a religious or medical accommodation. The policy was designed to comply with state and federal law while respecting the sincerely held religious beliefs of employees. Although Blue Cross values the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed with the verdict."

The insurer is currently evaluating its legal choices and will decide on its course of action in the near future.

Nearly $700,000 was paid to a woman by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee as a settlement after she was fired for not complying with its COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

In July, a Tennessee federal jury determined that Tanja Benton's refusal of the vaccine was motivated by a "sincerely held religious belief," and she had been working remotely prior to the pandemic.

Marko stated that he is representing 170 individuals in separate wrongful termination cases against Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan due to the 2021 vaccine mandate. The trials will commence in the upcoming year.

Planet Chronicle' Landon Mion contributed to this report.