The North Carolina Supreme Court is allowing a family whose child was given the COVID vaccine against his wishes to sue the school and the medical professional who administered the shot.
In August 2021, then-14-year-old Tanner Smith went to the testing and vaccination clinic at a Guilford County high school to be tested for COVID-19 because of several cases among his school's football team.
He made it clear that he did not want the shot. His mother, Emily Happel, had also not given her signed consent for it, but the school decided to "give it to him anyway."
The family's case failed before the North Carolina district court and again on appeal, but the state's supreme court recently said the lawsuit could go forward.
Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel calls that a significant win.
"The North Carolina Supreme Court decision, I think, is a great step forward to holding people accountable that injected individuals against their will and against their own informed consent," he tells AFN.
The case now goes back to the district court.
"The next step in this particular case is that the individuals will go back to the trial court and engage in discovery, which includes depositions and written discovery, and then ultimately to a trial before a jury," Staver explains. "I think [Smith and Happel] have a very strong case to get damages."
While this decision does set a precedent for The Tar Heel State, he says far more will be needed to hold schools and healthcare providers accountable in other states.
"This happened all over the country, where individuals were injected, particularly in schools, particularly minors," the attorney asserts.
Meanwhile, the drug manufacturers and governments that pushed the shots have enjoyed the protection of the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, which places broad protections and immunity on various people and organizations who perform "countermeasures" during a public health emergency.
"They have absolute immunity, and that's the problem that we face here," says Staver. "But beyond that, I think there are some state attorneys general that could bring some criminal charges against some of these perpetrators as well."
So, he believes there is hope.
