Vaccine Mandate

rogers v city of seattle

In October 2021, the city of Seattle implemented a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for its employees, requiring full vaccination to remain in compliance with their policies. Brett Rogers was a seasoned and respected employee of the City of Seattle for over 20 years, having been hired by Seattle PD as a Police Officer in March, 1996. Following Rogers’ voluntary resignation as a Police Lieutenant in July, 2014 Rogers was rehired by SPD as a civilian Manager III on April 3, 2019 to manage SPD’s Parking Enforcement Unit. When the City of Seattle issued the vaccine mandate, Rogers submitted a request for a religious exemption, which was initially denied but ultimately granted after a second request. Despite this, in April 2022, he was terminated when the City determined that his exemption "could not be reasonably accommodated." At this time, Brett had been working successfully from home for 14 months prior to the termination without any issues. Adding to the irony, the vaccine mandate itself only remained in effect for another 10 months after he was let go, raising questions about the necessity of his dismissal. This case raises allegations that the City retaliated against him after he expressed concerns about the fairness and transparency of the exemption and accommodation process. These events have had a significant impact on Brett's career and reflect the necessity to push back against policies of discrimination and retaliation regarding vaccine mandates." 

Causes of Action

• Deprivation of Life, Liberty, or Property, Without Due Process in Violation of U.S. Const. Amend. XIV; 42 U.S.C. § 1983.  (Against Defendants City of Seattle, and Bruce Harrell, Andrea Scheele, Mary Wideman Williams, Joshua Werner, and Derrick Wheeler-Smith in their official and individual capacities) 
• 
  
• Failure to Accommodate – Washington Law Against Discrimination, RCW 49.60 (Against Defendants City of Seattle, and Bruce Harrell, Kristen Simpson, Jesse Green, Rodney Maxie, Darren Morgan, and Kimberly Loving in their official capacities)
• 
  
• Disparate Treatment – Washington Law Against Discrimination (Against Defendants City of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, Jenny Durkan, Kristen Simpson, Jesse Green, Rodney Maxie, Darren Morgan, Adrian Diaz, Mike Fields, and Kimberly Loving in their official capacities)
• 
  
• Retaliation – Washington Law Against Discrimination (Against Defendants City of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, Jenny Durkan, Kristen Simpson, Jesse Green, Rodney Maxie, Darren Morgan, Adrian Diaz, and Mike Fields in their official capacities)

Silent Majority Foundation remains committed to standing up for individuals who were unfairly terminated as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.