FORT WORTH, Texas — In 2021 during the height of the pandemic, military members were required by the federal government to get the COVID-19 vaccines.
Some asked for religious exemptions. Then in November 2021, dozens of Navy servicemembers filed a lawsuit against President Biden, the Department of Defense and other military leaders emphasizing religious freedom. They said the policy caused "adverse action" in their careers, including involuntary separation, removal from promotion, and loss of special pay.
As the case dragged into 2023, President Biden ended the vaccine mandate.
While the legality of enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine became moot, the members of the Navy who filed the case said the damage was already done.
In 2024 at a federal courthouse in Fort Worth, a settlement was agreed on Wednesday.
"Today was a great victory. The judge issued an order on the record approving the settlement of our case," said Danielle Runyan, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, a legal organization that defends religious liberty.
Navy servicemembers who refused the vaccine for religious reasons can now have their records cleaned so it won't impact their careers.
"Their records will now be cleared and there is going to be information presented to the promotion board so that no adverse information is considered," said Runyan.
WFAA reached out to the White House and the Department of Defense for a comment on the settlement, but they did not respond at the time of this publication.
In a memorandum from January 2023, the Secretary of Defense rescinded the mandate and wrote, "No individuals currently serving in the Armed Forces shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative, or medical grounds."
While Runyan considers this case an overall win, some members of the Navy say it is not enough for their individual situations.
In court documents, one member objected to the settlement stating it harmed his career over the last three years. He said, "[I was] a non-selection for promotion in FY22, FY23, and FY24 based on board members knowing my religious beliefs and having knowledge of my filing for a religious accommodation for the COVID-19 mandate."
Another wrote that his religious request was denied, and then he was removed from his Navy ROTC unit.
He stated, "During my period of separation, I had to take out many loans (totaling $76,000.00) to pay for my schooling which was once covered by the Scholarship I was previously on."
He believes the settlement is the government's way of "washing their hands of the situation."
While this case is closed, it is likely individual servicemembers will seek legal action for their unique cases.