According to The Hollywood Reporter, former crew members of the series General Hospital are filing a lawsuit due to alleged religious discrimination against ABC. This is due to them being fired after not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, ABC had a vaccine mandate due to the pandemic.

The Hollywood Reporter said that on Tuesday, a judge in Los Angeles issued an order that discussed that James and Timothy Wahl had “sincerely held” religious beliefs that should have been accommodated by the studio. This would have included exemptions and allowed them to follow safety protocols from before the vaccination mandate. 

This ruling comes just after ABC won a different lawsuit with a similar background from Ingo Rademacher (Titans). He was also allegedly dismissed from General Hospital because of his refusal to get the vaccine. However, due to him being an actor and not a crew member, it was decided that he could not safely act with other cast members without getting the vaccine and without wearing a mask, said The Hollywood Reporter. 

The Hollywood Reporter noted that ABC, however, was not the only studio that urged a vaccine mandate. In 2022, it was agreed that there should be a mandate by Hollywood’s guilds and studios. The protocols for returning to work stated that Zone A employees, the main actors on a project and key crew members, could have vaccines be required for them. This is because they were at the highest risk on set.

ABC, however, shot back and claimed that the Wahl’s allegedly held no genuine religious beliefs, said The Hollywood Reporter. ABC also said that even had they been accommodated, these accommodations would have come with many hardships. The studio then argued that IATSE had previously waived any rights held by crew members when it came to vaccinations. 

The Hollywood Reporter said that at the moment, the court has sided against ABC in the lawsuit, believing that the Wahl’s may have been discriminated against.