Eighteen ex-employees of the City of Bellingham who were fired in 2021 for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, despite a mandate, have sued the city and former Mayor Seth Fleetwood.
Fleetwood issued an emergency order in September 2021 requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees, following similar actions by the state and federal governments. The Bellingham Herald reported at the end of 2021 that 27 city employees were dismissed or resigned due to the requirement. The mayor lifted the executive order in February 2023.
A complaint filed June 13 in U.S. District Court of Western Washington in Seattle asserts that the plaintiffs had “a fundamental right to refuse investigational drugs without penalty or pressure” and “a fundamental right to refuse unwanted medical treatment.”
The plaintiffs, who are asking for a jury trial, are represented locally by Charice Holtsclaw. They are seeking punitive damages against the city and mayor, as well as attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and compensation for lost wages and benefits.
It’s not the first lawsuit regarding vaccination mandates in the state or even in the city. Former police department and public works employees have filed civil suits in the past two years, and in 2023, the state was hit with more than a dozen separate lawsuits by former workers who refused vaccination.
Neither the city nor the plaintiffs’ legal counsel responded immediately to requests for comment.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
