Two Former GENERAL HOSPITAL Crewmembers Sue ABC
On the heels of the lawsuit that former GENERAL HOSPITAL star Ingo Rademacher (ex-Jax) has pending against ABC for wrongful termination, two former GH crewmembers are also suing the Disney-owned network. According to Deadline, James and Timothy Wahl have filed a suit that they were wrongfully fired for refusing to comply with ABC’s mandate that all employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Wahls are being represented by the same team of attorneys as Rademacher, with their filing claiming that the actions of the network “constitute religious discrimination and violate Plaintiff’s rights under state law.”
According to Deadline, the elder Wahl ran GH’s construction and special effects department for 14 years, and his son was a crew member with the soap for a decade. The Wahls’ complaint declares wrongful termination along with four other claims, stating that ABC “gave no reason for its decision, except to say that the company was ‘unable to conclude that you are prevented from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine due to a sincerely-held religious belief, practice, or observance.’”
Calling ABC’s vaccination mandate unconstitutional, the complaint stated that the Disney-owned network “does not have the authority to force a medical treatment on its employees against their will. Even if it did, it must offer religious exemptions to anybody who requests one.”
The suit, which can be read here, is asking for unspecified damages for the Wahls, claiming that the pair “are behind-the-scenes employees who were critical to General Hospital’s success.”
A subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, ABC Signature implemented a mandate on November 1, requiring that all cast and crew members of its productions receive the COVID vaccine in order to protect everyone involved. At GH, both Rademacher and Steve Burton (ex-Jason) were both let go from the soap for refusing to comply. Both actors tried to get a religious exemption from the requirement but were denied by GH, and Rademacher filed his lawsuit the following month.
There has been no statement made by the network regarding the Wahls’ complaint, but Rademacher’s case is set to go to trial on February 27, 2023.
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