From The Associated Press
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the state’s largest healthcare system.
The verdict was passed on the same day that the US Supreme Court argued over the ordering of the The Biden government heard requests for vaccinations or tests for companies with 100 or more employees.
The Louisiana Supreme Court said Ochsner Health employees had no legal ground to sue as the state gives employers the right to fire anyone as long as the cause does not violate other laws or the state or federal constitution.
« Some fights are worth it, » wrote Jimmy Faircloth, who filed separate lawsuits for Ochsner employees in Lafayette and Shreveport, in an email . He said his customers were disappointed but always understood that the issue was meant for lawmakers. « Ochsner Health remains committed to protecting the health and safety of our patients, team members and everyone in the communities in we operate, and this decision supports our right to establish guidelines to protect patients and employees in our facilities across Louisiana, « he said.
COVID-19 numbers in Louisiana continued to rise on Friday. About 1,521 patients were hospitalized in the state, 68 of them on ventilators, and authorities said there were 16 deaths – up from 12 – in the 24 hours leading up to Friday noon. The state reported 14,802 new cases within 24 hours.
The lawsuits filed in October also argued that the coronavirus vaccination mandate violated employee privacy under the Louisiana Constitution.
« In addition to the use of economic coercion, Ochsner expressly uses stigmatization and ridicule to advance the mandate and calls on employees to publicly display their vaccination status, » says the lawsuit filed in the Caddo community.
Louisiana judges said that state and federal courts have consistently ruled that Louisiana’s constitutional right to privacy protects people from governments.
« This court is declining an invitation to widen the scope … to restrict private actors, « said the statement from Chief Justice John Weimer.
Faircloth said that this is private employers the authority to “impose restrictions on the medical treatment of workers for any reason, without explanation or justification. This is uncharted territory for personal autonomy. ”
Shreveport Ochsner officials who opposed the vaccine requirement won a ruling by the state’s 2nd District Court of Appeals that blocked the system’s requirement. But a state judge in the Lafayette area refused to do so.
Ochsner said in early December it fired 280 employees who refused to get a coronavirus vaccine or apply for a waiver. It was said that 180 were temporary workers who were called in when necessary. Ochsner said nearly 99% of his 30,000 employees had adhered to the vaccination policy.
Keywords:
