A California law student is suing his school, alleging that they prevented him from transferring to another college because he refused to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, Ryan Driggs, who is advocating for himself in the case, is seeking to leave the law program at Santa Clara University, where he is presently enrolled.
The plaintiff started attending Santa Clara law in 2020 and is scheduled to graduate in 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In April 2021, the school announced that all students had until the beginning of the fall 2021 semester to be vaccinated against Covid-19. In December of that year, the mandate was expanded to include a booster.
On the school’s website, a disclaimer reads: ‘All students, faculty, and staff are required to be fully vaccinated and boosted as soon as they are eligible (five months after your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two months after Johnson & Johnson). ‘
It continues: ‘The deadline for receiving a booster vaccination and uploading your documentation is August 1, 2022.’
Driggs notes in his lawsuit that at the time of his enrollment in fall 2020, there was no requirement for a vaccine or booster. He writes in the suit that he did not ‘consent to or comply with’ the later mandate.
In one instance, Driggs said that he attempted to contact somebody who could change the school’s Covid-19 vaccine policy but got nowhere.
According to him, the practices of Santa Clara University have cost him “anticipated financial advantages of a career in legal practice and the loss in relative social prestige.”
The Santa Clara policy allows for medical exclusions. Six of the 28 petitions for exemptions, according to the Mercury News article, were granted permanently.
Driggs omitted to explain in his application why he declined to receive a vaccination.
According to Driggs’ LinkedIn profile, he is a summer associate in the San Jose law firm of renowned litigator Timothy Reed.
Also on his page, Driggs said that he worked in a law office in Tokyo, Japan, for a period and a teacher in China. He writes in his bio section: ‘Formerly an educator focused on history and literature. Currently a J.D. candidate at Santa Clara law anticipating graduation in 2023.’
In relation to the Covid-19 vaccination, this is the second significant instance of discrimination launched against Santa Clara University this year.
Jackson Druker and Harlow Glenn, two pupils, filed a lawsuit in March challenging the school’s booster requirement.
In a statement about her case, Glenn stated: “My college career is in peril.
Really, all I want is to be here studying and hanging out with my pals. For me, this is purely a matter of personal medical concerns and has nothing to do with politics.
No one was willing to put up a fight, but thank God my mom is who she is, Druker added. According to ABC San Francisco, “I was able to put the boot down with her support and locate many more individuals like me who are weary of it and want to take a stand.”
Druker announced in October 2017 that he had experienced bullying at Palo Alto High School as a result of donning a Make America Great Again hat to class, according to Palo Alto Online.
One kid allegedly threatened to shoot him if he didn’t remove his hat, according to him. Druker, a conservative political identifier, said that he donned the hat as part of a tolerance experiment.
Glen stated in an interview with KTVU that the two are neither “anti-vaxxers” nor politically far-right when the couple first filed their complaint.
She said: ‘We’re at school. We’re learning. We’re trying to pass chemistry, and be with our friends, and have fun. And make mistakes. And instead we’re having to worry about the validity and our college careers being put in jeopardy.’
Druker and Glenn’s lawsuit is backed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine propaganda group Children’s Health Defense.
At the time of writing, Children’s Health Defense has yet to comment on Driggs’ case.