David Lockington, former music director of the Pasadena Symphony. Photo courtesy of Pasadena Symphony and Pops.
“A former music director for the Pasadena Symphony Association who is a member of Church of Christ, Scientist, is suing the association, alleging he was wrongfully stripped of his job in 2021 for seeking a religious and medical exemption to its mandatory coronavirus vaccination policy,” states an unsigned article in Monday’s (1/30) Pasadena Now. “David Lockington’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges wrongful termination, religious discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination and harassment and various state Labor Code violations. Lockington seeks unspecified damages along with a court order directing that he be reinstated and given the proper religious accommodations. A symphony association representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Wednesday. Lockington, 61, has a 35-year conducting career and previously was the music director for the Modesto Symphony, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan … In May 2021, Pasadena Symphony Chief Executive Officer at Pasadena Symphony and POPS Lora Unger sent Lockington an email stating that all Pasadena Symphony Association employees were being required to have a coronavirus vaccination.”
