Netflix has been sued over an alleged culture encouraging sexual harassment and decisions related to its vaccine mandate.
In a lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, former senior manager of risk management Jessica Combs claims that she was told she was terminated for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine but that it was actually pretext for complaining to management about sexual harassment.
The lawsuit was filed after a Los Angeles judge in February found that ABC must face at trial similar religious discrimination claims from two former General Hospital crewmembers who sued the network after they were fired for refusing the vaccine. The order marked one of the first rulings to clear the way for trial over terminations caused by blanket vaccine mandates widely imposed by studios amid the pandemic. In that case, the court found that the plaintiffs may have had “sincerely held” religious beliefs that ABC should’ve accommodated by affording them exemptions and allowing them to follow safety protocols implemented before mandatory vaccination policies were implemented.
There are still several lawsuits against studios over blanket vaccination mandates working their way through the courts.
According to the complaint, Netflix in 2020 allowed Combs to relocate to Tennessee while the L.A. office was still closed due to lockdown orders issued during the pandemic. When the company instituted a vaccine mandate less than a year later, she asked for a religious exemption, which was denied. Her request to submit negative COVID tests in lieu of vaccinations was also rejected, leading her to email executives challenging company policies related to the virus.
Shortly after, Combs was terminated for breaking a “reasonable employer rule,” which the lawsuit attributes to her refusing to obtain the vaccine.
“Courts have held that such impositions were not lawful,” states the complaint, which alleges the stated reason for her Combs’ firing was pretextual. She argues that she was terminated in retaliation for complaining about the culture of sexual harassment at the company.
In the lawsuit, Combs points to several instances in which she says she was frequently subject to sexually inappropriate comments and questions. In 2018, for instance, she alleges she was “aggressively approached” by a coworkers who made sexual advances toward her at an international trip. There’s a culture of sexual harassment at Netflix that “caters to male predators,” she claims.
Combs refused to waive her right to sue Netflix in exchange for four months severance. She takes issue with the timing of her firing since she worked remotely and other employees had not yet returned to office work.
The lawsuit brings claims for sexual harassment, retaliation, negligence, wrongful termination, hostile work environment and discrimination, among others.
Netflix declined to comment.
