Plaintiffs suing the Department of Energy’s prime contractor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee over COVID-19 vaccination requirements for employees are interested in settling the case, according to a filing last week in federal court.
“Plaintiffs believe that this case is well-situated for settlement discussions,” according to an April 5 status report filed by U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr.
The plaintiffs, six lab employees who for varying reasons refused the vaccination, propose referral to mediation by a federal magistrate “or another of the Court’s approved mediators within thirty days,” according to the judge’s report filing following an April 1 status conference on the case.
The vaccine holdouts filed a revised complaint in January after securing right-to-sue approval from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The group sued in October 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden’s September executive order calling for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for employees of federal contractors who did not secure medical or religious exemptions.
The fate of a restraining order issued by a federal district judge against the contractor vaccination order was argued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Friday.
Judges heard arguments in the 11th circuit a day after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an injunction blocking enforcement of the Biden administration vaccination mandate for federal government employees. The Department of Energy and its Office of Environmental Management say their vaccination percentage for feds and contractor employees is in the high 90s.
