CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTERS PUSH FORWARD IN ONGOING BATTLE AGAINST COVID TYRANNY

Our Nation’s Heroes are Fighting for Their Livelihoods

In Kricken v. City and County of San Francisco, the Plaintiffs are twenty-one former employees of the San Francisco Fire Department. All of them loyally served the people of San Francisco as firefighters, risking their lives on a daily basis to protect their communities. Many of these brave heroes had served for decades.

In August 2021, the San Francisco Fire Department issued an order, mandating all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Due to their sincerely held objections to taking the vaccines, the Plaintiffs sought religious exemptions or accommodations that would allow them to maintain their bodily autonomy and uphold their beliefs. They allege that, despite their years of loyal and earnest service, the Defendants (city and county officials) refused to grant them any relief. Instead, the Defendants harassed, discriminated and retaliated against, and ultimately fired the Plaintiffs.

The Plaintiffs are suing the Defendants for religious discrimination, failure to accommodate religious belief or observance, violation of constitutionally protected autonomous privacy rights, failure to prevent discrimination, retaliation, harassment, constructive discharge, and violation of due process. The Plaintiffs are seeking punitive and compensatory damages, a permanent injunction enjoining the Defendants from further discriminatory acts and remedying past discriminations, a permanent injunction enjoining the Defendants from engaging in these practices, and reinstatement.

In September 2023, The Superior Court of California granted a motion to stay brought by the City and County of San Francisco, which put this case on hold until similar cases at the federal level are resolved. The Plaintiffs have since filed two motions to lift the stay. Both motions have been denied by the Court.

The Plaintiffs, along with their legal team, contend that the Court should grant injunctive relief due to precedent set by the Ninth Circuit’s ruling in Keene v. CCSF, a similar case that also involves employees who were denied religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, the Court’s stay has now been in place for over two years. Waiting for federal cases to resolve could take at least four to five years. As a result, the Plaintiffs have been forced onto the sidelines, unable to engage in their chosen profession and are enduring ongoing harm—lost jobs, lost seniority, stalled careers, promotions, missed opportunities, erosion of crucial evidence, and naturally aging out of the profession they love.

With the motion to stay still in place, these courageous Plaintiffs and their legal team will continue to litigate this case in the courts. This fight for our constitutionally protected rights and medical freedom is one of many critical cases that we’re seeing across our great Nation. Their unwavering stand against tyranny is a reminder that We the People must always fight for what we know in our hearts is right.

The Plaintiffs in this case are represented by the Law Offices of Heather Gibson, P.C., which is dedicated to fighting on behalf of those who might not otherwise have a voice.