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The ex-transgender movement: litigation

One strategy used by anti-transgender activists is to solicit plaintiffs and subsidize litigation against providers of trans healthcare. They often do this by grooming ex-trans activists with regret about making a gender transition.

Although gender transition regret rates are much lower than most medical treatments, this kind of litigation generates publicity for anti-trans activists and their lawyers, and it creates a chilling effect on care for our community. Litigation has been an effective strategy used by opponents of contraception, abortion, and other kinds of reproductive care.

United States cases

Soren Aldaco

  • Aldaco v Perry, Crane Clinic, TX Health Physicians Grp, et al
  • link
  • TX-Tarrant Co7-21-23
  • Ron Miller Campbell Miller Payne

Katie Anderson

  • Katie Anderson v United States of America, ex rel. Fenway Community Health Center, et al 2484CV01787

Richard Ikechukwu Anumene

  • Ikechukwu Anumene v Permanente Medical Group et al
  • Case: CGC-22-598800 (filed March 22, 2022)
  • Jurisdiction: San Francisco County, California
  • Plaintiff’s counsel: Daniel Watkins, Watkins & Letofsky
  • reportedly “resolved” accoring to an anti0trans site

Ramiel Anzu

Isabelle Ayala

  • Ayala v AAP, Rafferty, Forcier
  • PC-2023-05428
  • RI-Bristol Co
  • 10-20-23
  • Jordan CampbellCampbell Miller Payne

Clementine Breen

  • Breen v. Oson-Kennedy et al Los Angeles County, CA
  • Charles LiMandri; Campbell Miller Payne

Chloe Brockman / “Chloe Cole”

  • Chloe Cole v Kaiser Permanente
  • STK-CV-UMM-2023-0001612
  • San Joaquin County, California
  • 2-22-23 LiMandri, Dillon, Trammell Center for American Liberty

July Carlan / “Shape Shifter”

  • Carlan v. Fenway Community Health Center, Inc.
  • 1:2023cv12361
  • October 12, 2023
  • US District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • Mitra Forouhar, MNF law

Paul Garcia-Ryan

  • Garcia-Ryan v. Community Health Project, Inc. 1:24-cv-07117

Morgan Hale

  • Morgan Hale v Equitas Health, Inc, et al

Sean Michael Heeney

  • wrongful death case
  • John Heeney, as personal representative of decedent Sean Michael Heeney and special administrator of the estate v Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

Luka Hein / “onedonebun”

  • Hein v UNMC, et alD01CI230007381linkNB-Douglas Co9-13-23Mark Trammal, Charles S. LiMandri, Paul Jonna, Robert E. Weisenburger, Harmeet Dhillon, John-Paul Deol, Jesse D. Franklin-Murdock, Martin Cannon (Thomas More Society)Center for American Liberty, LIMANDRI & JONNA LLP and Dhillon Law GroupLuka HeinUNMC PHYSICIANS, THE NEBRASKA MEDICINE, NAHIA AMOURA, M.D., PERRY JOHNSON, M.D., STEPHAN BARRIENTOS, M.D., MEGAN SMITH-SALLANS

Cristina Hineman

  • Cristina Hineman v Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc, et al

Camille Kiefel

  • Kiefel v Ruff et al Case: 22CV29327; Multnomah County, Oregon (filed December 12, 2022)
  • Camille Kiefel v Project Quest, et al
  • Keifel v OR Cosmetic and Reconstructive Clinic 24CV10314 Clackamas County, Oregon (filed February 28, 2024)
  • Candice Jackson; Benjamin Boyd, Zachary Hostetter of Jackson Bone; Hostetter Law Group

“Kayla Lovdahl / “Layla Jane”

  • Layla Jane v Kaiser Hospital Foundation
  • San Joachin County, California
  • 3-23
  • Harmeet Dhillon Center for American Liberty

Christopher Miller

  • Christopher Miller v Identity Hormones, LLC, et al

Prisha Mosley / “detransaqua”

  • Mosley v Emerson, et al
  • 23CVS2375
  • Gaston County, North Carolina
  • Filed July 17, 2023
  • Josh Payne, Campbell Miller Payne

Abigail Suzanne Pierce

  • wrongful death
  • Lisa Pierce, as Parent and Natural Guardian of Abigail Suzanne Pierce, Plaintiff, v. Amy L. Beard, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Insurance 49D06-2409-CT-040990 (IN)

Amanda Stewart

  • Amanda Stewart v. Turco, et al

Ciara Summers

  • Ciara Summers v Dr. Margaret Baum, et al 24-LA-288 (IL)

Corey Towe

Hannah Ulery / Layton Ulery

  • Ulery v Rafferty, Forcier, Thundermist Health
  • PC-2023-05366
  • Bristol County, Rhode Island
  • October 20, 2023
  • Ron Miller, Campbell Miller Payne
  • Moved to federal court in 2024: 1:24-CV-00024

“Jane Doe” / currently anonymous ex-trans activist in Illinois

  • Jane Doe v Jay Lick, MD, et al
  • Hysterectomy at age 19
  • Top surgery at age 21
  • Now identifies as Jewish lesbian
  • Filed suit at age 23 in Dane County, Wisconsin on November 1, 2023
  • Represented by Daniel Cragg of Eckland & Blando, creators of Detransition Network (detransitionnetwork.com) and Gender Medical Malpractice Group (gendermedicalmalpractice.com/)
  • Wahlberg, David (December 23, 2023). UW doctors deny lack of informed consent in woman’s gender-altering surgeries https://madison.com/news/local/business/health-care/article_6617b4fa-a0dd-11ee-853a-ffe5860f4a12.html
  • https://madison.com/news/local/business/health-care/woman-says-uw-doctors-performed-gender-altering-surgeries-without-proper-consent/article_ff7bd30a-79ab-11ee-82bc-8fefeb60d060.html

Canada cases

Lois Cardinal

  • Alberta case
  • details
  • denied medical assistance in dying (MAID)

Michelle Zacchinga

United Kingdom cases

Keira Bell

  • Bell v. Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust

Ritchie Herron

  • announced plans in 2022 to sue Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Australia cases

Jay Langadinos

Spain cases

Susana Domínguez

References

Hamm, Amy (March 10, 2025). Amy Hamm: Indigenous transwoman’s lawsuit exposes harms of gender-reassignment surgery. [Lois Cardinal case] National Post https://nationalpost.com/opinion/indigenous-transwomans-lawsuit-exposes-harms-of-gender-reassignment-surgery

[Singal, Jesse] (December 6, 2024). America’s best-known practitioner of youth gender medicine is being sued. The Economist https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/12/06/americas-best-known-practitioner-of-youth-gender-medicine-is-being-sued

Schwanemann, Kaitlyn (December 12, 2024). UCLA student sues California doctors, says she was ‘fast-tracked’ into transgender surgery. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/ucla-student-sues-california-doctors-says-was-fast-tracked-transgender-rcna183815

Arnold, Tyler (December 11, 2024). Woman alleges doctors ‘fast-tracked’ her into gender transition as preteen, files lawsuit. [Clementine Breen case] Catholic News Agency https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260981/woman-alleges-doctors-fast-tracked-her-into-gender-transition-as-preteen-files-lawsuit

Riedel, Samantha (August 9, 2024). A “Detransitioner” Is Suing Planned Parenthood for Providing Gender-Affirming Care. [Cristina Hineman case] them https://www.them.us/story/planned-parenthood-lawsuit-gender-affirming-care

Block, Jennifer (August 7, 2024). How Did Planned Parenthood Become One of the Country’s Largest Suppliers of Testosterone? [Cristina Hineman case] The Free Press https://www.thefp.com/p/how-did-planned-parenthood-become

Kornick, Lindsay (May 16, 2024). Judge grants detransitioner’s lawsuit against doctors to proceed in court: ‘Sufficient’ allegations. [Prisha Mosley case] Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/media/judge-grants-detransitioners-lawsuit-against-doctors-continue-court

Urquhart, Evan (May 1, 2024). Detransitioner Soren Aldaco Must Pay $40,000 for Frivolous Lawsuit. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/soren-aldaco-lawsuit-dismissed-with-prejudice

Goldstein, Julie Rei (April 23, 2024). What’s Up With Chloe Cole’s Lawsuit? Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/chloe-cole-brockman-kaiser-lawsuit-arbitration

Hiltzik, Michael (March 2, 2023). A transgender patient’s lawsuit against Kaiser is a front for the conservative war on LGBTQ rights. [Chloe Brockman case] https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-03-02/transgender-patients-chloe-cole-lawsuit-against-kaiser-lgbtq-rights

Poonia, Gitanjali (September 15, 2023). Woman sues doctors who she says rushed her into gender surgery at 16. [Luka Hein case] Deseret News https://www.deseret.com/2023/9/15/23874181/gender-surgery-minors-detransition-lawsuit/

Davidoff, Judith (January 5, 2024). Firm suing UW doctors over transgender care seeks clients for similar lawsuits: Eckland & Blando created the Detransition Network to provide legal help to ‘detransitioners.’ Isthmus https://isthmus.com/news/news/firm-suing-uw-doctors-over-transgender-care-seek-clients-for/

Reilly, Wilfred (March 14, 2024). The ‘Detransition’ Time Bomb. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/03/the-detransition-time-bomb/

Schlott, Rikki (December 13, 2023). Detransitioner suing American Academy of Pediatrics: ‘I don’t want this to happen to other young girls.’ [Isabelle Ayala case] New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/12/13/news/detransitioner-suing-american-academy-of-pediatrics/

Lisa Selin Davis / “an anonymous contributer” (December 7, 2023). Eleven Lawsuits by Detransitioners in the US. https://www.broadview.news/p/eleven-lawsuits-by-detransitioners

Hart, Dan (December 07, 2023). ‘Only the Beginning’: Lawsuits From Detransitioners Are on Rise. Daily Signal https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/12/07/only-beginning-lawsuits-detransitioners-rise/

Richardson, Valerie (December 5, 2023). Surge of detransition lawsuits pose threat to booming gender-transition business. [Kayla Lovdahl, Chloe Brockman, Prisha Mosley cases] Washington Times https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/dec/5/surge-of-detransition-lawsuits-pose-threat-to-boom

Wahlberg, David (November 3, 2023) Woman says UW doctors performed gender-altering surgeries without proper consent. Wisconsin State Journal https://madison.com/news/local/business/health-care/woman-says-uw-doctors-performed-gender-altering-surgeries-without-proper-consent/article_ff7bd30a-79ab-11ee-82bc-8fefeb60d060.html

Matthew, Merrill (October 31, 2023). Matthews: Here come the gender-detransitioner lawsuits. The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/4284777-matthews-here-come-the-gender-detransitioner-lawsuits/

[Singal, Jesse] (March 7, 2023). Legal action may change transgender care in America. The Economist https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/07/legal-action-may-change-transgender-care-in-america

Trans-supportive resources

Julie Rei Goldstein

Anti-trans resources

Transition Justice (transitionjustice.org)

Detrans Help (detranshelp.org)

  • includes list of cases by nation

Themis Resource Fund (themisresourcefund.org)

Gender Medicine Malpractice [law firm Eckland & Blando] (gendermedicalmalpractice.com)

Dhillon Law Group (dhillonlaw.com)

Law and Mediation Offices of Kelly Chang (purposedrivenlawyers.com)

Jordan Law (jordanlaw.com)

Campbell Miller Payne (cmppllc.com)

Alliance Defending Freedom (adfinternational.org)

Hostetter Law Group, LLP (hostetterlawgroup.com)

Mitra N. Forouhar (mnf-law.com)