Overview
- An eight-member federal jury in Los Angeles unanimously found for Disney-owned 20th Television on Friday, rejecting Rockmond Dunbar’s claim that he was fired from 9-1-1 for religious opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Dunbar sued in 2022 alleging the company failed to accommodate beliefs tied to the Congregation of Universal Wisdom and also raised racial-discrimination claims.
- The four-day trial focused on Title VII questions over sincerity of belief, the interactive process, and whether any reasonable accommodation would have avoided undue hardship.
- Discovery highlighted Dunbar’s frequent testosterone injections and other medications, as well as details questioning the sect’s seriousness, which defense counsel used to challenge his credibility.
- 20th Television said it was pleased the verdict affirmed it acted fairly and lawfully, while Dunbar reacted emotionally in court and later said, “God still won today.”