Healthcare workers in lawsuit must reveal identities: Court
Nine healthcare workers who sued Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate have until Monday to reveal their identities.
The identities of nine health care workers who sued Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate must be revealed by Monday.
The workers have remained anonymous thus far, but on Thursday, a federal appeals court in Boston denied their motion and gave them until Friday to file an amended complaint with their names, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Later, the plaintiffs were granted an extension until Monday.
In a court filing Friday, attorneys for Liberty Counsel, the law firm representing the healthcare workers, stated that the one-day extension is required to give lawyers time to speak with each plaintiff about whether they want to proceed with the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs filed their complaint in federal court in August of last year, before the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers in Maine care facilities took effect on October 20, 2021.
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The workers claimed in their complaint that it was their religious right to refuse the vaccine because they believed that fetal stem cells from abortions were used to develop the vaccines. Religious exemptions are not permitted under Maine's vaccine mandate.
The lawsuit prompted several Maine newspapers, including the Portland Press Herald, to intervene in an attempt to identify the plaintiffs.