In a decision that underscores the limits of workplace vaccine exemption claims, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a lawsuit filed by a former Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab engineer who claimed she was fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine due to a medical condition linked to Lyme disease.
The justices, following standard procedure, offered no explanation for rejecting Sally Tarquinio’s petition, effectively ending her case. The denial leaves intact a Fourth Circuit ruling from June upholding summary judgment in favor of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, which had argued that Tarquinio failed to provide sufficient evidence for a medical exemption under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
From Lyme Disease to Litigation
Tarquinio, who said she suffers from “Lyme-induced immune dysregulation,” claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine posed health risks given her condition. In her March 2023 complaint, she argued that the university violated the ADA when it denied her exemption request and terminated her employment.
After the federal contractor announced in 2021 that all employees were required to be vaccinated in line with government policy, Tarquinio submitted medical documentation from her physician requesting an exemption. When her employer asked for authorization to contact the doctor directly, she refused, citing privacy concerns.
Without further medical verification, the lab’s medical director denied her request, asserting that Lyme disease was not recognized by the CDC as a condition contraindicating COVID-19 vaccination. Tarquinio was later dismissed from her role.
