Tammy Duryea, who worked as a district court clerk for 27 years in Kitsap County, Washington, was fired after she refused to get the COVID jab. She applied for both a religious and disability exemption, but was still fired. She sued the county and lost, with the jurors bizarrely finding that her sincere Christian faith did not conflict with the jab. This made no sense, since she was a family friend who worked with my father at the court and her faith was genuine.
No other employees in the entire county were singled out and fired for refusing the jab. But Washington state has become a hotbed of progressive activism, which has infiltrated the government.
Duryea was injured by a vaccine in 1995, and provided that as a reason for the disability exemption. Her doctor submitted a letter on her behalf stating that he did not recommend the COVID vaccine since it was contraindicated, meaning it could be harmful to her. However, since she could no longer find her medical records from a quarter of a century ago, the county refused to acknowledge the incident.
She checked the box requesting a religious exemption, as well as a box stating that she could provide additional information if requested. But no one ever asked her to provide any. She still submitted a letter detailing her Christian faith. She thought she had been granted the religious exemption, since Court Administrator Clint Casebolt never signed nor dated the form.
The district court and part of the superior court were the only agencies in the county to require the jab. The prosecutor’s office and the sheriff’s office did not — yet they were located in the same buildings and regularly interacted in court with the district court staff. The county refused to move Duryea to another agency, and instead made her work in isolation from the other vaccinated employees for several months and then remotely — clearly not a “danger.”
The union negotiated her termination without a disciplinary reason, but after she was fired, Casebolt appealed her unemployment compensation. The county stated that "Duryea is disqualified from benefits because she was careless in her disregard of the likelihood of harm to co-workers, the public, and the employer's interests.” However, the unemployment board ultimately held that the rule she broke was unreasonable.
The county — obviously realizing its guilt — offered her a settlement of $150,000 last year, but she rejected it since it would not have come close to covering what she owes. She was forced to put her fight on her credit cards, and lost $295,000 in wages, leave benefits and her pension.
After suing the county, a jury ruled against her last month. But they never received any explanation of what bona fide religious beliefs meant. How did the jury get to decide this when her religious exemption was never actually denied by the court administrator?
Duryea is going to appeal the adverse jury decision. She has a strong case, even in blue Washington state. A former 911 supervisor who was fired from the Seattle Police for refusing the jab, sued and won an $875,000 settlement. Marina Shinderuk had initially received a religious exemption, but it was rescinded. How is Duryea any different, she’s been a strong Christian her entire life?
A recent article from Reuters asserted that “workers fired for refusing Covid vaccines are starting to win in court,” even in blue areas, citing a recent decision in California. A San Francisco federal jury found in favor of six public transit workers who were fired for refusing to comply with their employer’s COVID vaccine mandate on religious grounds. The ex-BART workers were awarded over $1 million each.
Sue Koptieff, who worked with Duryea as the Administrative Coordinator of the court for seven years, sent a letter to the mainstream media critical of their reporting, which had left out key information. She pointed out that Casebolt created a hostile and toxic work environment for years, causing half of the employees to look for new jobs. He was eventually fired. “Before Casebolt, it was truly a wonderful and fulfilling place to work,” Koptieff said. Casebolt’s termination letter stated, “You carelessly failed to act when employees came to you and specifically requested help to address the toxic work environment that you have tacitly watched unfold and you helped to create and foster.”
This isn’t the first time the county where I grew up has targeted a Christian conservative. And the last time, they lost. Bremerton High football coach Joe Kennedy took his case all the way to the Supreme Court after he was fired for holding a silent prayer on the football field with players. That school, my alma mater, was forced to award him a nearly $2 million settlement after the nation’s highest court agreed with him that it was religious discrimination.
Intense scrutiny is now on the COVID vaccine and mandates. Florida is the first state in the nation to ban all vaccine mandates, including for children. Texas passed a law in 2023 which prohibits both government and private employers from imposing COVID vaccine mandates.
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order prohibiting federal funding for schools, colleges and universities that require students to be vaccinated against COVID in order to attend in-person classes. The FDA announced that annual COVID shots will no longer be routinely approved for healthy younger adults and children. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine research, citing data showing these vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.”
I set up a GiveSendGo for Duryea’s costs and legal fees. My dad, who served for years as a Kitsap County district court judge, wrote a glowing letter for Duryea in 2022 where he praised her work and gave her his “highest recommendation.” We cannot desert this brave, well-loved champion of freedom, whose notice of appeal is due in a couple of weeks.