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Seattle, and Washington State are definitely hard core Democratic.
But for pretending to be liberal, they endorse a very authoritarian
view of government management.
Covid illnesses hit, and police and fire fighters continued doing
their jobs interacting with the public and each other. They just
relied on masks, gloves, hygiene and other protections. Then when
a vaccine became available, the different layers of government
required their employees to get vaccinated. Then, regardless of
reasons, it fired those who refused to follow orders. Now, the
consequences are starting to hit.

The key: it was about politics.
“The City knew they were opening themselves up to lawsuits and chose to
move forward anyway,” Shinderuk said. “It’s easy to gamble with public funds when you don’t bear the personal consequences.”

from https://www.kvi.com/2025/07/18/fired-seattle-9-1-1-supervisor-wins-landmark-settlement-in-religious-discrimination-case/

Fired Seattle 9-1-1 Supervisor Wins Landmark Settlement in Religious Discrimination Case
July 18, 2025
marina-jpg
In a major legal and moral victory for religious liberty advocates,
Marina Shinderuk, a former 9-1-1 Police Communications Supervisor with
the Seattle Police Department, has secured a seven-figure settlement
from the City of Seattle—the largest known payout related to COVID-19
vaccine mandate terminations in the city to date.

Shinderuk, a 14-year veteran of the 9-1-1 call center, was terminated in November 2021 despite receiving a religious exemption from the city’s
COVID vaccine mandate. The City, while publicly claiming to offer fair exemption reviews, refused to accommodate her, prompting a legal fight
that would ultimately expose not just bureaucratic failure, but what
some now call a coordinated act of deception by City leadership.

A Process “Designed to Deceive”

A recent bombshell report has cast new light on Seattle’s handling of
vaccine mandate exemptions. At the center of the controversy is an
October 13, 2021, meeting of department heads during which Adrienne
Thompson, a senior advisor to then-Mayor Jenny Durkan, allegedly told department leaders that no religious accommodations would be approved,
despite a public process that suggested otherwise.

Seattle Fire Department Deputy Chief Tom Walsh later described the
process as “a sham,” claiming City leadership had predetermined outcomes before any applications were even reviewed. Numerous employees,
including firefighters and 9-1-1 dispatchers, have since come forward
saying they were misled into believing their exemption requests would be considered in good faith.

For Marina Shinderuk, this confirmed what she already suspected: her termination was not about safety, it was about politics.

“The City knew they were opening themselves up to lawsuits and chose to
move forward anyway,” Shinderuk said. “It’s easy to gamble with public funds when you don’t bear the personal consequences.”

From Ukraine to Seattle Public Service

Marina’s story begins far from City Hall. She immigrated to the United
States from Ukraine as a child, raised in a devout Christian family that
lived modestly and refused government handouts. She began working at age
18 in the airline industry, and after a layoff in 2008, she pivoted to
public service by joining Seattle’s 9-1-1 call center.

Over the next 14 years, Marina rose from Telecommunicator to Dispatcher,
and finally to Police Communications Supervisor in 2019. Known for her professionalism and calm under pressure, she received multiple
commendations, trained new dispatchers, and worked grueling
schedules—often 52 to 56 hours a week—to keep the city safe during emergencies.

Even during the height of the pandemic and anti-police protests in
downtown Seattle, Marina reported to work at the West Precinct, walking
past hostile crowds and graffiti to make sure 9-1-1 calls were answered.
She volunteered for overtime, participated in charity events, and
assisted with crisis line work for first responders. Her dedication,
however, meant nothing when City Hall decided to enforce its mandate
with zero tolerance for dissent—even from those with legally protected religious beliefs.

Terminated Without Recourse

In August 2021, Mayor Durkan’s administration announced the vaccine
mandate. Marina, standing firm in her religious convictions, applied for
and received a religious exemption. Initially, the City promised accommodations—masks, distancing, testing—all of which she agreed to.

But then the City reneged.

Despite offering multiple alternative arrangements—including remote
work, relocation within the office, or enhanced safety protocols—Marina
was never given an accommodation. Instead, she was terminated five weeks
after receiving her exemption, dismissed over a brief Zoom call and a
form letter. Her requests were never seriously considered.

Personal and Public Costs

At the time of her firing, Marina was a single mother of three. The
termination cost her more than just her job—it cost her her pension, healthcare, and financial stability. Unable to find similar employment
in Seattle, she was forced to sell her home and move to the Midwest,
uprooting her children and starting over from scratch.

Meanwhile, the City was left struggling to replace her during a critical shortage of first responders, losing not only her experience but also
her training and supervision of others.

Fighting Back

After exhausting all administrative channels, Marina filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against the City of Seattle. She did it not only
to make her family whole, but to send a clear message: cities cannot
trample constitutional rights without consequence.

She spent over two years gathering documents, conducting interviews, and building her case. With the help of her attorney, Robert Bouvatte, she
forced the City into a record-breaking settlement.

“My firm secured an $875,000 settlement for a wonderful client, Marina Shinderuk,” Bouvatte said. “Let it be known that when Seattle and other governments discriminate against their employees’ religious practices in pursuit of a political agenda, people like Marina and lawyers like
myself will hold them accountable.”

A Precedent for Others

Marina’s legal victory is now seen as a potential precedent for other lawsuits stemming from the mandate. Among them is Vale et al. v. City of Seattle, a case involving 39 terminated firefighters, and Brett Rogers
v. City of Seattle, filed in March 2025 by a former transportation
employee. Both cases allege religious discrimination.

Legal experts suggest that Marina’s case has exposed systemic flaws in
how the City processed exemption requests and may shape the outcomes of
future cases.

A Call for Support and Accountability

While Marina’s case is a landmark victory, it came at significant
personal cost. She did not use a contingency-based attorney—she paid
upfront legal fees from her own pocket. Only after reluctantly agreeing
to accept public help through crowdfunding was she able to keep her
legal fight going.

“This case was never about religion or the safety of the vaccine,”
Marina said. “It was about holding government accountable to the law. If COVID taught us anything, it’s that government will exploit fear to grow
its power. Unless we impose a cost for that behavior, it will happen again—and worse.”

The City of Seattle declined to comment.

Listen to The Ari Hoffman Show M-F 3-6 PM Pacific on Talk Radio 570 KVI, KVI.com, The KVI app, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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