ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO AT
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA — Advocates for Faith & Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente on behalf of Sarah Plath, a former Kaiser medical assistant who was terminated after seeking a religious accommodation from Kaiser’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Mrs. Plath is a devout Christian whose faith guides her conscience, her view of the sanctity of human life, and her belief that her body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When Kaiser required employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or obtain an exemption, Mrs. Plath submitted a religious accommodation request explaining her sincerely held beliefs. She also provided additional written support, including a letter from her pastor.
Kaiser initially provisionally approved Mrs. Plath’s religious exemption, but later reversed course, denied her request without meaningful explanation, placed her on unpaid leave, and ultimately terminated her employment. At the same time, Kaiser granted accommodations to other similarly situated employees and allowed alternatives such as masking, testing, symptom screening, social distancing, and other precautionary measures.
“This case is about more than one employee losing her job,” said Sam Kane, Senior Legal Counsel at Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “It is about whether Americans can still live and work according to their sincerely held religious convictions without being punished by corporate gatekeepers. No employer should be allowed to force a faithful Christian to choose between her conscience and her livelihood – especially when reasonable accommodations were available.”
Mrs. Plath had worked for Kaiser since approximately 2010 and complied with masking, testing, and other safety protocols. Rather than engage in a meaningful interactive process or explain why her accommodation would create an undue hardship, Kaiser rejected her request and ended her employment.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued Mrs. Plath a Right to Sue letter and found reasonable cause to believe that violations of federal law occurred.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom maintains that religious liberty does not disappear in the workplace. Neither government pressure nor corporate mandates can override the conscience rights protected by federal and state law.
“Our Constitution and civil rights laws were written to restrain overreach and protect the individual,” Kane added. “When large institutions trample the religious convictions of everyday Americans, we will stand in the gap and fight back.”
The lawsuit brings claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act for religious discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation. Mrs. Plath seeks damages, attorneys’ fees, reinstatement, and a declaration that Kaiser violated her rights under federal and state law.
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