General Hospital
ABC to Stand Trial for ‘General Hospital’ Firings During Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate
In a lawsuit filed by two former crew members of General Hospital, ABC will now have to face trial. The crew members are suing ABC on religious discrimination claims after they were fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination.
The Los Angeles judge’s ruling marks the first time there would be a trial over terminations due to the vaccine mandates adopted by major studios during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, in the ruling delivered on Tuesday February 20th, involving ex-GH crew members, James and Timothy Wahl, it is said they may have had “sincerely held” religious beliefs that ABC should have accommodated by affording them exemptions, and allowing them to follow safety protocols implemented before the mandatory vaccine policy was rolled out.
Photo: ABC
This lawsuit began in 2022 when father and son James and Timothy Wahl, who previously worked in the special effects department of General Hospital, sued ABC after their requests for religious exemptions were denied. At the time, it was noted that ABC had uncertainty as to whether their objections to taking the vaccine were based on their Christian faith.
ABC had argued that the Wahls did not have genuine religious beliefs and that, even if they did, it could not have accommodated them without undue hardship. It also claimed that IATSE (union for crew members and behind the scenes personnel) waived any rights members had to object to mandatory vaccination policies.
Photo: JPI
In the summary judgment, the Los Angeles court came to the conclusion that ABC may have actually discriminated against the Wahls on the basis of their religion by failing to find a workaround situation for them when they refused to be vaccinated.
Unlike the case of Ingo Rademacher (ex-Jasper Jacks), in which the former General Hospital lost his lawsuit, the court noted that workarounds were not possible for actors performing onstage as it required him to work in very close proximity with other cast members without a mask, which could endanger their safety. The case for the Wahls also does not apply to the termination of Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) back in 2021. Burton is now back on the ABC soap opera following the lifting of the mandates.
However, in the case of the Wahls, they worked in the construction and special effects shops for GH, and while they, at times, had to go to “Zone A” of the production, where the cast films, they tested regularly for COVID-19, always wore a mask and did their best to socially distance from the cast.
So, what do you think of the judges ruling that ABC must face religious discrimination claims from two former crew members of General Hospital? Comment below.
Ha ha good!
Could ABC “sue” you for impersonating one of their trademark name characters !!??
Sioux me!
Just say… remember when some OLTL characters went to GH while Prospect Park had the rights to them? Characters names are copyrighted. Google it.
I think Mr. Fairman has a article on it somewhere in his archives.
Get a job
Is than an out dated echo I hear??
It’s your mom calling your spaghetti os are ready.
You do bring shame to a wonderful character name the lovely and talent Kim Zimmer played. You could never compare.
Based on the information provided, it sounds like the crew members followed all safety protocols and did everything that was required of them. What’s the point of having religious or medical exemptions if they aren’t going to be respected by your employer? The fact that it came to people losing their jobs is crazy, especially given that now all mandates have been lifted and COVID is still around. I hope they win this case.
I would like to ask these mortals which “sincerely held religious beliefs” object to vaccines, because I seem to recall pretty much every religion endorsing vaccinations when they first rolled out. Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus. And even the Devil myself.
Don’t remember if the Scientologists took any side officially, but I’m assuming they must have, because Tom Cruise never stopped working.
How about us Nihilists ??? A much easier existence !
Well… Nihilists are pretty much opposed to everything, so at least that would be consistent.
How charming! Who are the unlucky ones you kiss with that mouth?
Wow… what a “sincerely religious” response.
Satan, my apology for this response, but it was mistakenly sent to you somehow. . I don’t remember who it WAS supposed to have been meant for, but as you see it was 5 months ago, and I have the memory span of a Gnat, these days. Hope you can overlook this.
Honestly, I never saw it before now. So no worries. I’m also not sure who I was responding to since the thread is 5 months old. My best guess is that we both responded to a post which is no longer here because it was extremely rude, and probably bigoted, since there were antivaxxers involved.
Now I see another post below where somebody is even accusing me of supporting the MAGAtt bleach drinking “cures” so the entire thread seems to be an exercize in mass confusion
If you want to drink bleach or horse dewormer that’s up to you. But you have no right to possibly give someone else a disease that could possibly kill them – especially babies, those who are immunocompromised, or the elderly. We are still seeing 1500 people a day being hospitalized from this disease. Grow up & be responsible.
How dare you call yourself Satan and yet offer a solid, morally correct and logical take on vaccinations?
Like the mean-spirited comments posted under the name of “echo desavoy”, these are just regular plain folk who type on keyboards and hide behind comical names.
Sadly, this site had lost all the class it once had, well except for “Satan”, his comments are hilarious and do entertain. Can’t say the same for “echo desavoy” !
Satan always plays a good game of understood humor. Just like the soaps themselves, Don’t allow yourself to read to much into comments. Just laugh them off and carry on.
I am unaware of any Christian denomination that objects to vaccines. In fact, from what I remember, many different faith communities sponsored vaccination events at their houses of worship. I am no supporter of the alphabet network or the mouse company, but from what has been reported, it sounds like this lawsuit doesn’t hold water.
The religious excuse is such bs.
While I’m immediately skeptical when I read about “religious” objections to vaccines, I do wonder if there are (very limited) religious denominations that actually do object–for example, Christian Scientists. As I recall, they don’t do things like blood transfusions from other people (I think they can store up their own blood if they need it for an operation, but I could be wrong about that); anybody here know Christian Scientists’ stance on vaccines (ALL vaccines, not just the Covid one)? What about the Amish and similar groups that eschew many of the modern conveniences we take for granted?
I won’t prejudge, but it does sound as though because they worked behind the scenes and could do their jobs in more isolation, these two workers might have had a stronger case than Steve Burton and A-Dingo-Ate-My-Lawsuit. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Thursday, the lineup of presenters for 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards taking place on Friday, October 30, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.
The ceremony will stream live on the NATAS YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@theemmys and watch.TheEmmys.tv.
Scheduled to present from the current soaps are: Katelyn MacMullen (Willow, General Hospital), Delon de Metz (Zende, The Bold and the Beautiful), James Preston (Nick, The Bay), Paul Telfer (Xander, Days of our Lives), Tamara Tunie (Anita, Beyond the Gates) and Susan Walters (Diane, The Young and the Restless).
Photo: NATAS
In addition soap alums, Crystal Chappell, Lesli Kay, Joe Lando, Eva LaRue, who is also a nominee this year, A Martinez, Juliet Mills, and Alicia Leigh Willis, will also be on hand to present.
The ceremony which celebrates nominated lifestyle programs and dramas will also include presenters: Eva zu Beck (Superskilled with Eva zu Beck), Danielle Chang (Lucky Chow), Sunny Hostin (The View), Derek Hough (Extra), Pati Jinich (Pati’s Mexican Table), Star Jones (Divorce Court), Michael Jr. (Stand Up and Do Something), Judge Greg Mathis (Mathis Court with Judge Mathis), Keke Palmer (Glam Through the Ages), Nischelle Turner (Entertainment Tonight), and Andrew Zimmern (Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen).
The 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards will bring together an exciting mix of presenters representing the full spectrum of daytime television,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO of NATAS. “From familiar faces in daytime drama to the personalities and creative voices behind talk shows and lifestyle programming, this year’s lineup reflects the breadth of talent that makes daytime so special. We look forward to celebrating the people who continue to shape the genre.”
Matthew Hoffman (Love Island USA, Cheap A$$ Beach Houses) will serve as the ceremony’s Voice of God, bringing his signature comedic narration to the evening’s celebrations. As previously announced, Lifetime Achievement honoree Genie Francis (Laura, General Hospital) will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by her husband, Jonathan Frakes.
So, what do you think about the list of presenters for the 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards? Let us know who you are looking forward to seeing via the comment section below.
General Hospital fans took to social media following the airing of the Wednesday, October 21 episode of the ABC daytime drama series. In story, Molly (Kristen Vaganos) reveals to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) that she has received an offer to join the top law firm in Chicago that practices civil law. She says it’s her dream job.
The problem Molly says is relocating from Port Charles and uprooting her life and being away from her mother, Scout and boyfriend Cody Bell (Josh Kelly). Wistful that she may lose another daughter to a long-distance situation (Kristina left a few months back to go to medical school in California), Alexis urged Molly to get Cody to go with her.
Molly still seemed concerned and has trouble committing to the idea. Alexis tells her to talk it over with Cody. Meanwhile, Cody asked Tracy (Jane Elliot) is he can have Thanksgiving off because he and Molly planned to spend Thanksgiving together with their families. After initially balking, Tracy agrees.
Courtesy/ABC
WILL MOLLY AND CODY HEAD TO CHI-TOWN?
Later, Cody shows up at Miller & Davis and the conversation turned to Thanksgiving dinner that Alexis is hosting. Molly and Cody asked her not to cook anything. Cody hugged Molly reassuring Alexis that he and Molly would take care of whatever was needed on Turkey Day.
So, this raises the question, why out of nowhere are we learning that Molly received an amazing law offer in Chicago, if the character was not being written out? If Molly leaves the canvas, would the character of Cody make his exit too?
Kristen Vaganos joined GH as a recast Molly Lansing-Davis back in September of 2023 and went on contract in August of 2024. Josh Kelly began playing Cody Bell back in June of 2022. Initial reports were that Kelly joined the show on contract and then as of June 2025 went on recurring status with the show per his choice.
Do you see a world where GH is writing out Molly and Cody? Would you be sad to see Kristen and Josh exit the soap opera? If this is not what is going on, is this just a plot point for some other story that is upcoming? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
It’s been over two-years since his last appearance on General Hospital, now fan favorite Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin) has taken to social media to share his thoughts on the casting of his grown-up TV daughter, Serena Baldwin now played by Kelly Kruger.
Kelly took over the role of Serena on-screen starting with the July 30, 2026 episode and has been ensconced in the storyline with her mother, Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring), in trying to win back full creative control of Deception for her.
In fact on the Monday, October 19 episode of the ABC soap opera, Serena tried to dupe Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) into signing over Michael’s (Rory Gibson) shares of the company. Jason caught on and wondered why she was doing this. She claimed she just wanted to help her mom gain creative control from Tracy (Jane Elliot) rather than full ownership, and begged Jason to keep quiet about it, which he agreed to for now.
Courtesy/ABC
WHERE IS SCOTT?
On Monday, Shriner also took to X and said, “I think Kelly Kruger is doing a great job on General Hospital, and she and Lynn Herring work well together.” That was followed by comments in his thread about the show needing to bring back Scott too.
In fact, back on August 25, Shriner also took to X with a reminder that Scott is still around and ready to come back to Port Charles, sharing, “Scotty Baldwin always fits in he just needs the right sport coat !!!!”
The last time Serena mentioned her father Scott was when Kruger made her debut and informed Lucy that her father was, “living his best life in Key West.” Meanwhile, Shriner posts on his X account continually and shared back on August 2, that it has been 49 years since he made his on-screen debut as then teenaged, Scotty Baldwin and thanked the fans for al the love and support.
So, now let us know, are you enjoying Kelly Kruger as Serena Baldwin? Do you want to see GH bring back Scott Baldwin into the story, so Serena has both her parents in Port Charles? Do you like the potential of Jason and Serena pairing? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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