The Rising Tide of Medical Freedom

San Francisco, CA. - May 12, 2025

On May 9, 2025, Dr. Simone Gold and the AFLDS legal team filed an amici curiae brief with the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in support of the Plaintiffs-Appellants (Plaintiffs) in Brock v. City of Bellingham. The Plaintiffs are former city employees that served in critical roles, such as EMTs and police officers. The Defendants-Appellees (Defendants) are the City of Bellingham (Washington State) and its former mayor Seth Fleetwood. The Petitioners are seeking damages resulting from the Defendants’ COVID-19 “vaccine” mandate. By submitting an appeal to the Ninth Circuit, the Plaintiffs are asking the appellate court to reverse the decision of the district court.

In September 2021, Mayor Fleetwood issued a mandatory vaccination policy requiring all city employees and on-site indoor contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. When the Plaintiffs refused to comply, the Defendants subjected them to harassment, segregation, demotion, and termination. The Plaintiffs sued, alleging that the Defendants deprived them of their right to refuse EUA (emergency use authorization) drugs, the right to be treated equally before the law, and the right to privacy. District Court Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein granted the Defendants’ motion to dismiss, finding a “compelling” government interest in justifying the Defendants’ mandate. In other words, the mandate was rationally related to stopping the spread of COVID-19. 

Since 2020 until today, America’s Frontline Doctors maintains the position that the COVID shots are personal medical treatments ONLY. They are not “vaccines” because they do not prevent infection or transmission. Additionally, vast scientific research and evidence has proven these experimental mRNA injections to be neither safe nor effective. 

Further, the Defendants engaged in unconstitutional, illegal, and possible criminal activity in violation of numerous well-established laws and regulations by coercively “mandating” these dangerous medical treatments. These egregious and unlawful violations are likely to recur in the future if left unchecked by the courts. By submitting our amici curiae brief to the Ninth Circuit, we are calling on the court to firmly reject the Defendants’ mandate by reversing the decision of the lower court.  

AFLDS attorney David Dalia states, “It’s shocking that some government officials and private employers are still attempting to coerce employees to take unwanted and dangerous COVID-19 mRNA injections by threat of termination. These experimental drugs not only have terrible safety profiles and significant adverse reactions including death, they offer zero protection to others. These mandates are unconstitutional, illegal, immoral, and violate voluntary informed consent and the Nuremberg Code. These mandates are getting struck down now by courts all over the country. Why do some employers keep doing this? Medical freedom is excellent public policy. Coerced experimentation on humans is very bad public policy.”

AFLDS Founder and President Dr. Simone Gold added, “The ‘vaccine’ mandates that we saw during the pandemic destroyed lives and careers. The courageous Plaintiffs in Brock and countless Americans across the country deserve restorative justice. This case and the mounting cases against these ‘mandates’ are proof that the dam is breaking. The tide of medical freedom is rising and COVID-era tyranny will be held accountable. A new day is coming. We the People will see total victory.”

Supporting these historic cases is critical to the mission of America’s Frontline Doctors. Please see our press releases for Bridges v. The Methodist Hospital, Sweeney v. UCHA, and Boyd v. Shriners to learn more!

Stay tuned - We will keep you updated on the status of this case and our legal efforts to ensure medical freedom for all Americans. 

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About AFLDS

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Media Contact Lisa Alexander, Communications Director | Media@AFLDS.org