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.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!
In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?
Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!
Courtesy/ABC
FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS
The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!
Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?
Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.
MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.
Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.
Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
General Hospital
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).
On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..
In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”
GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW
So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!
FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD
As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”
Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.
So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
View this post on Instagram
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’
In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.
The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.
Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”
Photo: CDuellIG
SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL
Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.
The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.
In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”
So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Marlena Looks Back at 50 Years in Salem
‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
‘Days of Our Lives’ Eric Martsolf Recalls Moment He Learned He Was Cast as Brady Black, and Last Scenes with Drake Hogestyn (SOAPY Exclusive Preview)
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Weighs-In on Dante and Elizabeth Pairing and Sharing Scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL Promo: Rocco’s in a Panic as Britt’s Health Takes a Turn, Chase is Called to the Carpet
‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Y&R Preview: Matt Clark Asks Phyllis on a Date, Would You Be Down for the Pairing? Roger Howarth & Michelle Previously in GH’s Franco/Nina Romance
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Reflects on Dante’s Guilt for the ‘Atrocity’ That Happened to Michael Which Kept Everyone From Telling Him the Truth About Rocco (Exclusive)
-
General Hospital2 days agoMaurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
-
General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
-
Days Of Our Lives1 week ago‘Days of Our Lives’ Eric Martsolf Recalls Moment He Learned He Was Cast as Brady Black, and Last Scenes with Drake Hogestyn (SOAPY Exclusive Preview)
-
General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Weighs-In on Dante and Elizabeth Pairing and Sharing Scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Exclusive)
-
General Hospital1 week agoGENERAL HOSPITAL Promo: Rocco’s in a Panic as Britt’s Health Takes a Turn, Chase is Called to the Carpet
-
Days Of Our Lives2 days agoAl Calderon Reflects on ‘Major Chapters’ Coming to an End on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘Brilliant Minds’
-
Beyond the Gates5 days ago‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Karla Mosley Weighs-in on Dani Dupree’s Love Life Endgame: Are You Team Bill or Team Andre?
-
General Hospital1 week agoGENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Michael Puts Willow On Notice After Tracy Is Arrested
