The CU-Anschutz medical campus in Aurora recently agreed to pay $10.3 million to settle a lawsuit over vaccine mandates during the pandemic.
A group of 18 students and faculty claimed that the school violated their religious liberties by requiring them to receive COVID vaccinations to be on campus in person. CU ultimately settled the case through mediation.
The Thomas More Society, which specializes in religious liberty cases, represented the students and staff. The organization says this is one of the only cases in the country so far in which a defendant paid out money in a lawsuit over COVID vaccinations.
So, why did CU settle? And what does the case say about vaccination policies in Colorado going forward?
Reporter John Ingold covers public health and wrote about this settlement for The Colorado Sun. He joined Erin O’Toole to unpack those questions.
CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this post included a photo of the UCHealth building on the CU-Anschutz campus. UCHealth was not involved in the case discussed in this story.