Michigan Hospital Settles Lawsuit Over Transgender Policy Dispute

A Michigan hospital has agreed to pay $410,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a physician assistant who claimed she was dismissed due to her refusal, based on religious beliefs, to adhere to workplace policies concerning transgender patients. The legal documents and statements from both parties confirm this resolution.

Valerie Kloosterman, formerly employed by University of Michigan Health-West, was terminated in August 2021. She expressed her desire to provide optimal care without contravening her Christian convictions. ‘All I wanted to do was provide the best care possible to my patients without being forced to violate my Christian beliefs,’ she stated.

The First Liberty Institute, representing Kloosterman, indicated that she had consistently received favorable performance reviews before objecting on religious grounds to mandatory gender identity training. According to the organization, Kloosterman was terminated three weeks after requesting a religious exemption from completing the mandatory training, which included affirming gender identity statements conflicting with her faith.

UMHW made no effort to accommodate her beliefs, leading to the lawsuit filed in October 2022.

The lawsuit claims that University of Michigan Health-West officials held a meeting where they criticized her religious beliefs, labeled her as ‘evil’ and a ‘liar,’ and asserted she could not practice her Christian beliefs at work. They also accused her of contributing to suicides among gender dysphoria individuals.

The settlement stipulates that UMHW must implement a religious accommodation policy aligned with legal requirements. This includes informing and training employees, granting reasonable religious accommodations without retaliation, and paying $410,000 in damages and fees to Kloosterman and her legal team.

Kloosterman expressed that this new policy ensures faith-based providers at UMHW receive religious accommodations to deliver excellent care aligned with their medical judgment. ‘This new policy ensures that providers of faith and employees at UMHW will receive religious accommodations so that they can provide excellent care consistent with their medical judgment, because all patients are created in the image of God,’ she remarked.

Kayla Toney, counsel at First Liberty, emphasized that Title VII prohibits employer discrimination and punitive actions against employees for their faith. ‘Valerie is an exceptional physician assistant who cares for each of her patients. Employers cannot drive out people like Valerie just because of their sincere religious beliefs,’ Toney stated.

Fox News Digital attempted to contact University of Michigan Health-West for additional comments.