A former high-ranking employee of the Writers Guild of America West Inc. has reached a tentative settlement in his lawsuit against the organization. The employee claimed that he was wrongfully terminated for objecting to the guild’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
The plaintiff, Scott Sawyer, filed court papers on Friday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Barbara Meiers, stating that a “conditional” agreement has been reached. A request for dismissal will be filed by August 14.
No specific terms of the settlement have been disclosed.
Sawyer filed the lawsuit on October 31, alleging religious discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, failure to prevent discrimination and harassment, retaliation, and age discrimination.
The suit claimed that the Writers Guild of America West failed to engage in any negotiation regarding Sawyer’s request for religious accommodation. Instead, the organization ignored his request, targeted him for termination, subjected him to harassment for two months, and ultimately fired him after he made the request.
According to the suit, Sawyer was hired as a business representative by the Writers Guild of America West in June 2000 and was over the age of 40 at the time of his termination.
The suit stated that the Writers Guild of America West’s legal department employs three business representatives who handle WGAW member breach-of-contract claims, settlement demands, litigation pleadings, and claims resolution.
In April 2021, the assistant executive director of the Writers Guild of America West emailed all staff members, announcing a policy requiring vaccination against COVID-19 by June 15 of that year, according to the lawsuit.
Two months later, Sawyer requested a religious exemption from the mandatory vaccination policy, but the organization only acknowledged his request without taking any further action, the suit stated. Instead, the Writers Guild of America West sent Sawyer a critical disciplinary letter that surprised him and criticized his performance on two cases that had been successfully settled, according to the suit.
The lawsuit alleges that the Writers Guild of America West has a longstanding animosity towards religion and religious individuals. Sawyer was placed on a 30-day probationary period, constantly feeling uncertain about whether the organization was trying to terminate his employment. The suit also claims that Sawyer’s supervisors harassed him with overwhelming tasks and attempted to create grounds for his termination.
Despite the harassment, Sawyer worked beyond regular business hours, often staying up until midnight or even 4 a.m. to complete his work and meet the organization’s performance goals, the suit stated.
According to the lawsuit, Sawyer was at the top of the Writers Guild of America West’s pay scale and has been unable to find a comparable job since his termination in November 2021. He claims to have experienced severe emotional and physical distress as a result.
Sawyer also alleges that his termination was partly motivated by his age.
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