Rockmond Dunbar sues Disney for $1 Million ‘9-1-1’ Vaccine Mandate

UPDATE:Disney and 20th Television have been exempted from a disparate impact claim brought by Rockmond Dunbar.

A federal judge ruled that Dunbar’s dismissal from the drama series for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine can’t claim disparate impact because no other members of his Universal Wisdom church have been affected by the reason for his job loss. Dunbar had sought a religious exemption by claiming that the companies discriminated against members of his church.

Disney and 20th face 10 additional claims, including racial or religious discrimination, breaching of contract, and retaliation.

“He still cannot identify any other Universal Wisdom followers who have been adversely affected by Defendants’ vaccination policy,”The order of U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee is read.

The judge’s decision can be found here.

Dunbar, who played Michael, the ex-husband of Angela Bassett’s character, on the drama series from its inception, was abruptly was written off in November. He had sought a medical exemption, then a religious exemption from Covid protocols which require that all actors be vaccinated.

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Dunbar’s requests were reviewed by Disney and were rejected, he said in the suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.

“In retaliation, Defendants summarily terminated Mr. Dunbar’s employment agreement, and refused to pay him the hundreds of thousands of dollars that are still owed to him,”The lawsuit refers to a Deadline article several times. “Then, wanting to make an example out of Mr. Dunbar, he believes that Defendants wrongfully leaked negative information to the media about his departure from ‘9-1-1’ including that he sought both religious and medical exemptions that were denied. Defendants deliberately made it sound like Mr. Dunbar was a recalcitrant anti-vaxxer, rather than present the truth – that like millions of other Americans, he is a sincere adherent to a non-mainstream religious belief that prevents him from being vaccinated.”

Dunbar called it the suit “an adherent to the teachings of the Church of Universal Wisdom.”

The lawsuit claims the defendants’ actions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the California Fair Employment Housing Act and common law principles of contract law. Dunbar is seeking “over $1.3 million in compensation owed to him under the contract,”Injunctions and wide-ranging damages in civil rights-based actions.

“On information and belief, Disney has a history of racial discrimination, and Mr. Dunbar was subjected to disparate treatment and disparate impact discrimination on the basis of his race,”The filing is 45 pages long. “On information and belief, non-minority employees similarly situated were not subject to termination when they refused the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Disney and 20th Television declined comment on the lawsuit today, but at the time of Dunbar’s exit said in response to Deadline’s inquiry that “We take the health and safety of all of our employees very seriously, and have implemented a mandatory vaccination confirmation process for those working in Zone A on our productions. In order to ensure a safer workplace for all, Zone A personnel who do not confirm their vaccination status and do not meet the criteria for exemption will not be eligible to work.”

The suit comes as the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and Hollywood’s unions including SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, IATSE, the Teamsters and the Basic Crafts agreed this week to extend the industry’s Covid protocols to April 30. Mandates were also updated as part of the deal to redefine “fully vaccinated”Booster shots will be available starting March 15