Oklahoma-based compressor packaging manufacturer AG Equipment Company will pay $4.25 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of 43 former employees due to stringent COVID-19 vaccine mandates imposed by the company, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said in a May 18 statement.
In the fall of 2021, AG Equipment mandated that all workers receive a COVID-19 vaccine, stating that no exemptions were allowed. “Nonetheless, several employees requested exemptions based on their religious beliefs. One worker supplemented their request with a doctor’s note requesting an exemption due to a medical condition,” EEOC said.
“The company refused to discuss the employees’ requests and fired all individuals who did not provide proof of vaccination, on Oct. 15, 2021, including workers who requested accommodations.”
AG Equipment’s conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of religion, national origin, sex, color, and race, the commission said. The company is also accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which bans discrimination against individuals with disabilities, including in employment.
The $4.25 million payment seeks to settle the religious and disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC against the company.
In addition, the settlement enjoins AG Equipment from discriminating on the basis of religion or disability against its workforce in the future. The company is required to train managers regarding Title VII and ADA compliance, and notify workers about their rights regarding religious and disability exemptions.
Such accommodations include offering flexible work schedules, job reassignments, lateral transfers, and voluntary shift substitutions. An accommodation can be deemed to cause undue hardship for a company in situations such as when an exemption turns out to be costly, compromises safety or efficiency at the workplace, or infringes on the rights of other workers.
Commenting on the AG Equipment settlement, EEOC Chair Andrea R. Lucas said, “Where an accommodation can be provided without undue hardship, the law requires it—the pandemic did not exempt employers from their legal obligations under Title VII and the ADA.”
“The EEOC under my leadership will continue to hold employers accountable, deliver meaningful results, and restore dignity to American workers harmed by widespread COVID-19 vaccine–related civil rights violations.”
The Epoch Times reached out to AG Equipment for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
On May 18, EEOC also issued a judgment in another case, deciding that the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Education violated Title VII by denying religious accommodation requests filed by three employees who sought exemption from the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate issued by the previous administration.
Numerous companies and federal departments imposed a strict vaccine mandate during the pandemic following a broader directive initiated by governments and global health agencies such as the World Health Organization. Lawsuits and related settlements are ongoing.
At the time, Dr. Marty Makary, then the FDA commissioner, said that there was “no evidence healthy kids need it today, and most countries have stopped recommending it for children.”
A case was filed against the decision in July 2025, accusing the health secretary’s directive of being “arbitrary and capricious.” The lawsuit, filed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other doctors’ groups, alleged that the directive was in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.
“The Directive is but one example of the Secretary’s agenda to dismantle the longstanding, Congressionally-authorized, science- and evidence-based vaccine infrastructure that has prevented the deaths of untold millions of Americans,” the lawsuit said.
The case is ongoing in court.
Individuals who have taken COVID-19 vaccines and suffered any injuries can file claims under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. Claims can also be filed in case of the death of a loved one linked to taking the vaccine.
Successful claims can compensate for lost employment income, survivor death benefit, and unreimbursed medical expenses.