A Brief Summary of our Legal Cases
Lewis Williams vs. BART
Case No. 3:22-cv-06119 WHA (Northern California District Court, October 23, 2024). This lawsuit was brought by Pacific Justice Institute’s Kevin Snider, Esq., on behalf of several workers fired after failing to comply with a COVID 19 vaccine mandate imposed by their employer, a local rail agency. Jessica Barsotti was brought in as a trial consultant and expert to assist in the trial of the matter after an initial mistrial. After retrial, the jury found in favor of the 6 plaintiffs and awarded a total of $7.8 million in damages.
Alameda County Committee of Open Government/Children’s Health Defense, California vs. County of Alameda
Case No. 23CV028241 (Alameda Superior Court, Feb 21, 2023). This case was filed on behalf of a local Alameda County citizens group and another nonprofit, challenging the Alameda Board of Supervisors for prolonging their declared local emergencies for Covid-19 without bothering to review local conditions or hold public meetings on the issue, as required by state law. After the case was delayed by the Alameda County court system past the termination date of the state-wide emergency, the superior court judge found the issues in the lawsuit to be “moot.”
Glenn/Children’s Health Defense vs. Santa Clara University
Case No. 22CV395570 (Santa Clara Superior Court, March 14, 2022). This case was filed on behalf of two individual SCU students, Harlow Glenn and Lyle Kosinski, and a nonprofit representing other SCU students after SCU instituted a Covid-19 vaccine “booster” mandate, granting religious exemptions to faculty and staff but not students. Individual student plaintiff Harlow Glenn was significantly damaged after being coerced by SCU into taking the first dose, but continued to be harassed by SCU’s medical doctor to take the second and third doses regardless of her injuries. Judge Christopher Rudy, a graduate of the defendant SCU’s school of…
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Palicke/Children’s Health Defense, California vs. Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District
30-2022-01253908-CU-MC-CJC, Orange County Superior Court, April 7, 2022). This case was filed on behalf of a PYLUSD student and a nonprofit representing other PYLUSD families after a PYLUSD school board member unilaterally changed the district’s masking mandate mid-year and selectively removed non-complying students such as Aidan Palicke from in-person schooling, in violation of various state and federal laws. Although the judge in this case initially ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, in 2024, the judge did an inexplicable 180 and granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants, on the bases of “mootness” and “legislative immunity.” The plaintiffs are currently…
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Peggy Hall/Children’s Health Defense, California vs. Orange County Board of Supervisors
2021-01220678-CU-WM-CJC (Orange County Superior Court, Sept. 14, 2021). This lawsuit was filed on behalf of individual plaintiff Peggy Hall and nonprofit Children’s Health Defense alleging that the OC BOS had failed to satisfy its statutory duties to review local conditions in the county and to terminate the declared local emergencies for Covid-19 at the “soonest possible date that conditions warranted.” The lawsuit further alleged that OC BOS members were keeping the county under an unlawful state of emergency in order to personally benefit from the millions in Covid funds from the federal government. Although the plaintiffs received a favorable ruling…
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Children’s Health Defense, California/PERK vs. Piedmont Unified School District
(Alameda County Superior Court (November 18, 2021). This lawsuit was filed on behalf of two nonprofits in December 2021 to push back against the unlawful Covid-19 student vaccine mandate that the Piedmont Unified School Board imposed upon students ages 5 and up. In January 2022, the Alameda Superior Court agreed with the plaintiffs that PUSD had failed to show how it had the legal authority to mandate new vaccines in its district and ordered the defendants to show cause as to why they could mandate. Rather than fighting a losing battle, PUSD settled with the plaintiffs and agreed to rescind…
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Children’s Health Defense, California/PERK vs. Los Angeles School District
Case No. 21STCP03429 (LA Superior Court, October 3, 2021). This lawsuit was filed on behalf of two nonprofits in October 2021 to push back against the unlawful Covid-19 student vaccine mandate that the Los Angeles School Board imposed upon students ages 12 and up. In 2022, the LA Superior Court agreed with the plaintiffs that LAUSD did not possess the legal authority to mandate new vaccine requirements for students in the district, and the unlawful mandate was rescinded.
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