First, Rockmond Dunbar lost his job on rescue drama “9-1-1.” Now he has suffered a loss in court after filing a lawsuit against Disney over the studio’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Dunbar sued the company in federal court in Los Angeles, saying the mwdia giant violated his religious rights by firing him, because his faith prohibits vaccinations and some medical procedures.
On Friday, Oct. 17, a federal jury unanimously voted in favor of Disney’s 20th Television, which produces the series. Dunbar was stunned by the verdict and cried out in court, Variety reported.
He placed his head in his hands and shouted, “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” He then turned toward his wife and children and said, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. We’ll be okay.”
Following the jury’s decision, a spokesperson for 20th Television said, “We are pleased with today’s verdict, which affirms that 20th Television acted fairly and lawfully toward Mr. Dunbar.”
Meanwhile, Dunbar told reporters outside court, “God still won today.”
Related: Rockmond Dunbar Exits ‘9-1-1’ Amid COVID Vaccine Dispute
Dunbar played Michael Grant (ex-husband of Angela Bassett’s “Athena” character) for five seasons on 9-1-1. He appeared in 69 episodes of the series, according to his IMDb page.
The actor was written off the show in 2021, amid a dispute over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Dunbar is a member of the Congregation of Universal Wisdom. Its tenets say it is sinful to inject “foreign materials” that “defy natural law.”
But in court, Disney’s legal team countered that Dunbar does not practice what he preaches, saying he uses synthetic testosterone and anastrozole. The studio’s attorneys presented a list of 37 medications they said Dunbar has taken.
The actor admitted on the witness stand that he is not “perfect.”
He sued 20th Television in 2022, saying the studio failed to accommodate his religious beliefs after he sought religious and medical exemptions from getting the vaccine.
At the time he said, “I applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by my employer.”
His lawsuit additionally alleged that he was a victim of racial discrimination and that “non-minority employees similarly situated were not subject to termination by avoiding the COVID-19 vaccine.”
20th Television countered that it required all actors to be vaccinated if they wanted to continue working on set.
“We take the health and safety of all of our employees very seriously, and have implemented a mandatory vaccination confirmation process for those working in Zone A on our productions,” 20th Television said in a statement. “In order to ensure a safer workplace for all, Zone A personnel who do not confirm their vaccination status and do not meet the criteria for exemption will not be eligible to work.”
Since leaving the show, Dunbar has had small roles on the television series The Game, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, Law & Order, and BMF.
He’s also appeared in the films Red Winter, The Waterboyz, BET+ movie The Accused, and Tyler Perry’s Straw.
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