‘9-1-1’ Trial Is On: Rockmond Dunbar’s Case Against ABC & 20th TV Over Vaccine Mandate Axing Gets Big Leap Forward – Update

deadline.com:

UPDATE, 5:34 PM: Over two years after Rockmond Dunbar filed a lawsuit against 20th Television and Disney over his pink slipping from 9-1-1 out of his insistence on a religious exemption to Covid vaccine mandates on the show, a federal judge today has said the legal battle can go to trial.Kind of.“The Court grants the MSJ as to all of Dunbar’s claims except the Title VII claim for failure to provide religious accommodations,” said District Judge Dolly Gee today.

Specifically, the issues that will proceed to trial are: (1) whether Dunbar had a sincerely held religious belief within the meaning of Title VII; (2) whether Defendants failed to engage in the interactive process; and (3) whether any reasonable accommodations would have actually been available to Dunbar without undue hardship to Defendants.” In a climate where vaccine mandate cases are now getting a more empathic take from the courts, the scalping of most of Dunbar’s previously DOA suit is a pyrrhic victory for 20 TV and ABC.

As is the case in other legal actions that the Mouse House faces out of the pandemic, having to face the religious accommodation question is really the whole ballgame.

Or put it another way, it’s a legal 9-1-1Judge McGee also said Friday that the parties have until March 24 to suggest some dates to her for trial.Representatives for Disney did not respond to request for response on Judge Gee’s ruling.