OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced on Tuesday that UT-Battelle agreed to settle with Oak Ridge National Lab employees over its former COVID-19 vaccination policies.

UT-Battelle is a limited liability partnership between the University of Tennessee and the Battelle Memorial Institute that manages and operates ORNL.

As part of the settlement, the LLC agreed to pay more than $2.8 million to the employees.

In September 2021, ORNL implemented a policy requiring all employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine . Employees were told they could request accommodations for medical or religious reasons.

A previous lawsuit filed by employees said they were granted a religious exemption and placed on indefinite, unpaid leave until their situation could be reev

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