A Christian former physician assistant who declined to follow a preferred-pronoun policy for patients due to religious beliefs is suing the University of Michigan Health-West and five executives in a legal dispute. The case involves allegations of religious bias and constitutional claims.
The US District Court for the Western District of Michigan ruled that the defendants did not waive their right to enforce the arbitration clause in the employee’s contract. This decision distinguishes the current case from a previous ruling by the Sixth Circuit in Schwebke v. United Wholesale Mortgage LLC on March 28, where the appeals court found that the employer had engaged in excessive discovery and litigation activity in court before seeking arbitration.
In contrast, the court determined that the arbitration clause in the employment agreement should be upheld in this case, allowing the parties to arbitrate the religious bias and constitutional claims raised by the former physician assistant.
