Rockmond Dunbar is taking legal action against Disney and 20th Television over '9-1-1-'s vaccine mandate.
The 49-year-old actor - who portrayed Michael Grant on the drama series for five seasons until he was written out last year - has filed a lawsuit against the makers of the programme, accusing them of "racial and religious discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act regarding their vaccination accommodation process."
But a source told 'Entertainment Tonight' the 45-page lawsuit was "not about vaccines".
The insider said: "It should be noted that this is not about the company's right as a private entity to enact a mandatory vaccination policy, nor is it about vaccines.
"What this is about, are studios following federal law and honouring the agreement between the unions and producers in their 'Return to Work' protocols by affording each and every employee regardless of race/religion/medical disability, or sincerely held beliefs, the right to a fair, just, and equal interactive process free of the personal and political bias, discrimination and retaliation by those within the company assigned to oversee such processes."
The insider alleged Rockmond was "denied this opportunity".
They added: "It is Mr. Dunbar's hope that this lawsuit will bring to light the responsibility we all have to uphold the honoured laws in this nation and will also serve as a reminder that there is no place or circumstance, even in a pandemic, where racial and religious discrimination should ever be accepted or encouraged."
20th Television insisted there are "no differences" in their decision-making based on an employee's race when it comes to granting vaccine exemptions.
They said in a statement: "To ensure safe working environments at our productions we have implemented a mandatory vaccination confirmation process. While we will not comment on any one individual, each request for exemption is given a thorough review and we grant accommodations consistent with our legal obligations. There are no differences in our process or decision-making based on an employee’s race."
Rockmond confirmed his exit from the show last November was a result of being denied an exemption from the vaccine mandate.
He said: "I applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by my employer.
"My sincerely held beliefs and private medical history are very intimate and personal aspects of my life that I do not publicly discuss and have no desire to start now.
"I’ve been an actor in this business for 30 years, but my greatest roles are as a husband and father to our four small children. As a man that walks in faith, I look forward to what the future holds.
"I have enjoyed the last five seasons with this wonderful cast and crew and will cherish the time I’ve been blessed to spend with this series and wish everyone involved nothing but the best."
