A Christian former physician assistant is suing the University of Michigan Health-West and five executives for religious bias and constitutional claims. The dispute arose when the former physician assistant refused to follow a preferred-pronoun policy for patients due to their religious beliefs.
The US District Court for the Western District of Michigan has ruled in favor of the defendants, stating that they did not waive their right to enforce the arbitration clause in the employee’s contract. This decision sets a precedent for future cases involving similar disputes.
In contrast to a previous ruling by the Sixth Circuit in Schwebke v. United Wholesale Mortgage LLC on March 28, which found that excessive discovery and litigation activity had been engaged in by the employer before seeking arbitration, this court determined that the arbitration clause in the employment agreement should be upheld. This decision allows the parties to arbitrate the religious bias and constitutional claims raised by the former physician assistant.
