Ingo Rademacher, a former star of General Hospital (known for his role as Jasper “Jax” Jacks), is attempting to have his wrongful termination lawsuit against ABC reinstated. The actor, who was dismissed from the soap opera in 2021 for not adhering to the network’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, contends that the network’s rehiring of fellow actor Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) offers new evidence supporting his claims of religious discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination.
In June 2023, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Goorvitch ruled in favor of ABC, determining that Rademacher’s opposition to vaccination seemed to stem from health concerns rather than religious convictions. Before he was terminated, Rademacher publicly expressed his opposition to the vaccine, explaining on social media that he was not against vaccines in general but disagreed with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In an August 2021 post, he stated that individuals should have the freedom to decide whether to get vaccinated, particularly those who had already recovered from COVID-19 and possessed natural immunity.
Although the court ruled in favor of ABC, Rademacher appealed, presenting new evidence he believes supports his claims of political discrimination. His legal team argues that ABC’s decision to rehire Steve Burton, who was also dismissed in 2021 for refusing the vaccine, demonstrates the network’s bias against Rademacher due to his political views. Unlike Rademacher, Burton was not replaced on the show, and his character, Jason Morgan, was brought back after a short break. Rademacher’s lawyers assert that this inconsistency shows the network’s true motives were not related to the vaccine mandate but rather to remove Rademacher because of his political beliefs.
Rademacher's legal team highlights text messages between General Hospital producers around the time of his termination, where he was called "ignorant racist" and "nut," allegedly due to his outspoken views on the vaccine. The documents also indicate that ABC intended to terminate Rademacher's contract as early as summer 2021, aligning with his public stance on the mandate.
ABC claims its actions were consistent with the vaccine policy and denies any wrongdoing. However, Rademacher’s legal team argues that the network's rehiring of Burton, who also refused to comply with the mandate, underscores the politically motivated nature of the decisions regarding Rademacher’s dismissal. They contend that ABC’s assertion of vaccine policy compliance is contradicted by its actions concerning Burton, suggesting that Rademacher’s political views, beyond his vaccine stance, were the true issue.
The ongoing appeal includes a motion from Rademacher’s legal team asking the court to resolve what they call a “paperwork issue” to proceed with the appeal. They also seek to reopen summary judgment proceedings, citing new evidence about Burton’s rehiring. ABC dismisses the relevance of this new evidence, claiming it has no impact on the case.
Rademacher first joined General Hospital in 1996 as Jasper “Jax” Jacks, a role he played on and off until November 2021, when his final appearance aired.
Ingo was let go because he refused the vaccine and he did have a choice but his choice included stepping away from his job. Unfortunately, UNLIKE SB, Ingo went bonkers and, after his firing, went down a really dark hole of racist-leaning political posts and CONSTANT trolling of former castmates, one in particular. He has turned off a lot of his former fans by his behavior. Likewise, his character had little story before he left the soap in general. I don’t see a reason he would be hired back, especially after dragging his former employers through the mud. There are quite a few former castmates who lean right, and they are still employed. Ingo has an issue realizing he did…