NEWS PROVIDED BY
Advocates for Faith & Freedom
Aug. 28, 2025

MURRIETA, Calif., Aug. 28, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ — Advocates for Faith and Freedom in conjunction with Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz have filed suit in the Northern District of California on behalf of 33 current and former Santa Clara County employees against Santa Clara County for failing to accommodate their religious beliefs. Plaintiffs allege religious discrimination in violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution, Title VII, and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.

In late 2021, the County began placing employees on indefinite, unpaid administrative leave if they could not get the COVID-19 vaccine due to their deeply held religious beliefs and were deemed by the County to be in ‘high-risk’ positions. Many positions were wrongly classified as high risk—such as the roofer who worked alone in the open air.

For those who did work in allegedly “high-risk” positions, they were not provided with reasonable accommodations to allow them to continue to work. And once the rest of the State permitted non-vaccinated individuals to return to work with accommodations that included masking and testing, Santa Clara County refused to consider such accommodations for the religiously exempt.

Furthermore, in a related case brought by Advocates, a federal judge has already found that the County’s policy which gave employees with a disability or medical contraindication exemption to the vaccine mandate likely operated “in a way that targets” religious practice and disadvantaged religious exemptions compared to secular exemptions.

For standing up for their religious beliefs, Plaintiffs were indefinitely deprived of their source of income, forcing many to face serious financial hardships. “Our firm is proud to represent these Plaintiffs, who were willing to give up everything, including livelihoods, health insurance and, in some cases, their houses and personal belongings, to remain faithful to their beliefs” says Sam Kane an attorney for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “Discrimination and the needless harm to people because of their faith cannot be tolerated.”

About Advocates for Faith & Freedom (www.faith-freedom.com):
Advocates for Faith & Freedom safeguards the constitutional liberties that define the United States as a beacon of freedom and prosperity, including religious freedom, free speech, election integrity, parental rights, and the rights of children, both born and unborn.

SOURCE Advocates for Faith & Freedom

CONTACT: Lori Sanada, MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM