NYPD cop can’t be fired for not having COVID vaccine, judge rulesBy Priscilla DeGregory
September 14, 2022
An NYPD cop who sued over the city’s COVID vaccine mandate can’t be fired for not having the jab, according to a new “precedent-setting” ruling that could help more than 20 other police officers in their cases, The Post has learned.
A Manhattan judge said Officer Alexander Deletto, 43, should be allowed to keep his job, noting in a Tuesday ruling that the city gave the Brooklyn cop no explanation for why it rejected his religious exemption application.
This is the first such ruling in an NYPD officer’s case fighting their possible firing over the mandate, according to attorney James Mermigis, who is representing Deletto and has been dubbed “the anti-shutdown” lawyer for taking on a slew of pandemic-related litigation.
“It’s a precedent-setting case,” Mermigis said of Deletto’s lawsuit. “It’s the first of its kind.”
The city first denied the request for religious exemption from Deletto, who is Catholic, on Feb. 15, and later shot down his appeal with only “does not meet criteria” given as an explanation, according to his lawsuit.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/09/14/nypd-cop-cant-be-fired-for-refusing-covid-vaccine-judge/
