Community Members who have been TERMINATED from PeaceHealth

 

 

Hi Friends,

Please read the very important email below and help to spread the word via email, text, and social media. This attorney is looking for former Peace Health employees who were terminated due to the COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate (or placed on leave without pay). Time is of essence.

Thanks,

 

 

Dear PeaceHealth Friends,

Your long wait is finally about to come to an end. Over the past year+, you’ve reached out to several organizations, including KOsborne Law and Silent Majority Foundation for assistance in filing a lawsuit against PeaceHealth as you were placed on administrative leave without pay or terminated for your decision to not become vaccinated against COVID-19. We (Karen and SMF) are now working together on several matters, including starting representation against PeaceHealth. We intend to bring this lawsuit with multi-plaintiffs, likely a class action, lawsuit to represent as many of you as possible. Our goal is to file the lawsuit in early December, although we have plenty of work to do within that 20 to 30-day time frame to file the complaint. We also recognize that such a time frame is a quick turnaround for a decision of whether you will participate as a plaintiff. For those, and other reasons, we do anticipate that we will need to amend the complaint in early 2023 to capture all plaintiffs and claims, although it is best to ensure that plaintiffs join as early as possible so we can file the lawsuit in the most complete form possible. One item of importance: even if we file a class action, if you do not participate, we cannot ensure that you would obtain relief from a favorable judgment—this is evidenced by the fact that a case that settled in Illinois offered damages to the named plaintiffs and the other participating plaintiffs, but not to all similarly situated persons. We do not state this lightly or to entice participation, but to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to be as informed as possible in the decision-making process. With that, there remain a few things we need to address:

  1. This is not limited to nurses. We’re opening this to all PH workers in this situation. This could make the case more difficult, but we believe that all need representation.

  2. If you’re in a separate lawsuit, you cannot participate. If you’ve contacted another attorney and have an agreement, but no lawsuit, please contact that attorney, and have that individual contact us.

  3. We are asking for donations, up front and monthly, to sustain the costs for this litigation. We’re asking a one-time $500 (five hundred dollars) donation prior to filing the case. After the case is filed, we’re asking for a $150 (one hundred and fifty dollars) donation each month we’re in litigation. We recognize that many have not been paid for some time, so if you’re interested in participating and need a financial waiver, please let us know when you respond according to the directions, below.

  4. We will do our best to communicate with you and will offer updates on the litigation as they occur, but please be respectful of the time required to file and maintain this lawsuit.

  5. As the claims will focus on workplace discrimination and the PH’s failure to accommodate your request for an accommodation from the vaccine mandate, please make sure you have that information (your request for accommodation and any correspondence related to it).

If you’re interested in participating in such a lawsuit, we ask that you respond to immediately to the following email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following information:

  1. Your Name.

  2. Your title/position with PeaceHealth.

  3. Your status (i.e., on leave without pay or terminated).

    1. Date that status occurred.

  4. Whether you filed a complaint with WA human rights commission or EEOC.

    1. If so, please provide a status.

i. You may need to immediately ask your EEOC counselor for a right to sue letter if you’ve not received one.

    1. If not, we recommend that you file, even if it’s been more than a year since the date that you were terminated/placed on leave.

    2. We can address how to complete the EEOC process prior to filing the lawsuit, as needed.

  1. Once we’ve confirmed that you’re going to participate, we will send a representation agreement and instructions on how/when to donate.

  2. For those who participate, we will need a declaration in support of your status as a plaintiff. We will provide a sample/Word document for you to fill in the blank document that we will edit with you. At that time, the correspondence between you and PH related to its decision not to accommodate your request will be required. Please ensure that you have that correspondence readily available in an electronic format.

  3. While we cannot guarantee an outcome, we are committed to fighting to make you as whole as possible.

Lastly, time is of the essence, so a quick decision on participation is necessary. Additionally, prompt responses to our requests are equally, if not, more important. This is a joint effort, so we need to work as a team.

Thank you,

Team SMF/KOL

Director/General Counsel

O: (509) 567-7083

5238 Outlet Dr.

Pasco, WA 99301

www.smfjb.org