The University of Colorado’s Anschutz School of Medicine just paid a steep price for putting politics over convictions.

After nearly five years of litigation, the school agreed to a $10.3 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by students and staff who were denied religious exemptions to the school’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, as CNA reports.

The case, led by a Catholic doctor and a Buddhist medical student, accused the medical school of trampling First Amendment protections in its rigid push for universal vaccination.

Federal Court Found First Amendment Violation

Plaintiffs in the case were forced to choose between their careers and their conscience when Anschutz refused to allow exceptions based on religious beliefs—even though such accommodations are protected under the law.

In a firm rebuke, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled in 2024 that the university violated clearly established constitutional rights by ignoring those religious liberty claims entirely.

Among the concerns raised by the plaintiffs were the use of fetal cell lines in vaccine development—an issue the media conveniently downplayed during the heat of pandemic fear-mongering.

Settlement Covers Damages, Tuition, Legal Fees

The settlement, announced December 1 by the Thomas More Society, includes over $10.3 million in total compensation for 18 plaintiffs involved in the case.

That figure represents damages, reimbursement for tuition lost, and legal fees—costs that could have been avoided had the university simply respected longstanding legal protections.

Michael McHale, attorney with the Thomas More Society, said plaintiffs were “forced to succumb” to a policy that allowed no room for sincere religious beliefs. He put it plainly: “We are confident our clients’ long-overdue victory indeed confirms… that our shared constitutional right to religious liberty endures.”

Case Highlights Broader Legal Wins for Objectors

The plaintiffs were hardly alone in this fight, as similar cases across the country have led to other sizable payouts for individuals penalized over their vaccine positions.

In 2022, NorthShore University HealthSystem coughed up another $10 million to workers who were also denied religious accommodations. Just last year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan found itself on the wrong end of a $12.7 million judgment over firings tied to vaccine objections.

Even the Federal Reserve Bank of New York hasn’t escaped scrutiny—a case involving a fired Catholic worker was revived mid-2025 by a federal appeals court, suggesting this issue is far from over.

Personal Costs, Institutional Overreach

Behind the legal details are real people whose lives were upended by bureaucratic overreach dressed up as a public health necessity.

Madison Gould, one of the original plaintiffs, said the policy “gutted the years of study and self-sacrifice” that students like her invested in service to others. She called the ordeal a “travesty” and added, "May our nation never witness anything like this travesty again.”

She also thanked the attorneys who stood with them “when no one else would,” highlighting just how isolated and vilified religious objectors became during this government-blessed crusade for compliance.

Courage Costs Something, and These Plaintiffs Paid

Peter Breen, who leads litigation efforts for the Thomas More Society, praised the resolve of these students and doctors, saying they took a stand “at great personal cost.”

“Because they dared to say ‘no’ when their religious freedoms were trampled,” Breen said, “people of faith across the country now enjoy stronger protections.” No one can honestly claim they didn’t know better, not after a federal court pointed to “clearly established” rights that were ignored anyway.

This wasn’t just about health policy—it was about whether elites could ignore the Constitution anytime the narrative demanded it. Fortunately, they didn’t get away with it this time.