Federal Appeals Court Revives Christian PA’s Lawsuit Against University of Michigan Over Firing for Religious Beliefs

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – A federal appellate court has ruled that a Christian physician assistant may proceed with her lawsuit against the University of Michigan Health-West, overturning a lower court’s attempt to force the case into arbitration.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday sided with Valerie Kloosterman, who alleges she was wrongfully fired in 2021 after requesting a religious exemption from training and policies that required her to use transgender pronouns and refer patients for sex-change procedures.

In a unanimous decision, the three-judge panel held that the hospital waived its right to arbitration by pursuing a year of litigation before attempting to move the case out of court. Judge Eric Murphy, a Trump appointee, wrote that Michigan Health had “sought an immediate and total victory” in court, only turning to arbitration after its legal arguments faltered.

Kloosterman, a 17-year veteran of the hospital and member of the United Reformed Church, maintains that her biblical convictions prevent her from endorsing gender-transition treatments or using pronouns inconsistent with biological sex. While she avoided using pronouns, court documents note she respectfully addressed patients by their first names.

Her lawsuit, filed in 2022, alleges that the hospital violated her religious freedom under the First Amendment, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Equal Protection Clause. She is seeking damages for lost wages and an injunction to protect other employees of faith from similar dismissals.

The Texas-based First Liberty Institute, representing Kloosterman, welcomed the ruling. “It was intolerant of the University of Michigan Health to fire Valerie because of her religious beliefs, and now the Sixth Circuit has recognized that they cannot avoid accountability by hiding the case in arbitration,” said attorney Kayla Toney.

Michigan Health declined to comment on pending litigation but recently announced that it would no longer provide gender-reassignment services to patients under 19, following new guidelines from the Trump administration.

The case now returns to the federal district court for further proceedings, where Kloosterman will have the opportunity to present evidence in support of her claims.

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