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An Illinois federal jury delivered a stinging rebuke to the Chicago Transit Authority on Friday, awarding $425,000 in damages to former employee Kevin McCormick in the closely watched CTA Worker Vax Bias suit partnership case. The panel found the transit agency liable for religious discrimination after McCormick was terminated for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and being denied an exemption.

After a four-day trial and six hours of deliberation, jurors agreed that McCormick’s Catholic faith was unfairly disregarded by the CTA, which dismissed him in April 2022. His lawsuit, filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, accused the agency of bias and demanded $2 million in damages plus back pay.

Clash Over Faith and Vaccine Mandates

McCormick argued that his refusal stemmed from his opposition to abortion, citing his unwillingness to take vaccines connected to fetal cell research. His attorneys told jurors the CTA applied arbitrary standards to judge the sincerity of his beliefs and ignored the requirement to reasonably accommodate his religion.

Attorney Frank Avila told jurors the agency’s exemption committee engaged in flawed reasoning, equating McCormick’s medical skepticism with insincerity of faith. “If the exemption had been granted, Kevin never would have been fired,” Avila declared.

The CTA, however, maintained that McCormick failed to prove a genuine religious conflict. Their legal team argued the vaccine mandate was essential to safeguard both employees and riders during the pandemic. They also highlighted that McCormick had previously taken medications without researching fetal cell use, undermining his claimed religious objection.

Heated Trial and Mistrial Motion

The trial brimmed with tension. CTA counsel Andrew Shelby accused Avila of misconduct, including improper arguments and personal insults—at one point calling Shelby a “master manipulator.” On Thursday, Shelby requested a mistrial, insisting the jury might have been swayed by rhetoric rather than evidence.

But U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly swiftly denied the motion minutes before the verdict, stating the agency could revisit the issue in post-trial motions.

Representation and Next Steps

McCormick was represented by Frank B. Avila of Avila Law Group LLC, Noah Hurwitz of Hurwitz Law PLLC, and others, while the CTA relied on in-house counsel and attorneys from Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.

For McCormick, the verdict provides validation of his stance. For the CTA, the battle may be far from over as legal maneuvering continues in the wake of the jury’s decision.