ABC and General Hospital are still facing legal action due to Disney's COVID vaccine mandate.
General Hospital is facing a lawsuit over a COVID vaccine mandate that was put into place in the fall of 2021. If you're thinking, "Didn't that get tossed out of court?" -- you're right. Sort of. This is a totally separate lawsuit. In June 2023, a lawsuit brought by Ingo Rademacher (Jasper "Jax" Jacks) was dismissed. Rademacher filed a suit claiming that he was wrongfully terminated and dismissed from his role as Jax because he refused to comply with a ABC/Disney's mandate that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 was thrown out by a judge in June of 2023. Rademacher claimed religious beliefs kept him from getting the COVID-19 vaccine. In January, Rademacher said he was appealing the decision because he felt he was really fired due to his political beliefs. This second lawsuit has been brought by a father and son who both worked as crew members on GH. James Wahl and Tim Wahl refused to get COVID vaccinations citing religious beliefs and their lawsuit claims they firmly established said beliefs. , this time from crew members, who are suing due to the Disney/ABC vaccine mandate put into place in the fall of 2021.
This second lawsuit against ABC was filed by father and son GH crew members James Wahl and Tim Wahl. They also refused to get the COVID vaccine due to religious beliefs and their lawsuit claims they firmly established said beliefs.
However, according to Deadline, ABC disagreed, saying the Wahls were "unable to conclude that you are prevented from receiving the Covid-19 vaccine due to a sincerely-held religious belief, practice, or observance."
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Goorvitch issued the ruling the lawsuit could go forward, stating, "Because this necessarily involves a credibility determination, it is difficult to grant summary adjudication of this issue. While defendant's counsel identifies seeming inconsistencies, plaintiffs raise sufficient facts to give rise to a triable issue, viz., their explanations of their religious beliefs."
To give this story a little more of a soap opera twist, it turns out the lawyer representing the Wahls is the same lawyer representing Rademacher. In addition, the judge who ordered that the Wahl's case can proceed is the same one who tossed Rademacher's case out last summer.
GH star Steve Burton was also let go when ABC enacted its mandate. However, now that COVID vaccines are no longer required, Burton is back at work as Jason and begins airing on March 4.
The Wahl vs. ABC trial is set to begin on March 11.
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