Trial Date Set in Landmark Lawsuit on Medical Killing and Informed Consent
Following Defense’s Failed Motion to Dismiss, Schara v. Ascension Health et al. Scheduled for Three Week Trial Coinciding with the 2024 Presidential Election
The nationally-watched wrongful death suit, Schara v. Ascension Health et al. (Case Number 2023CV000345), alleges that Appleton’s Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital bears responsibility for the death of the plaintiff’s daughter, Grace Schara1—a 19-year-old with Down syndrome—who was killed on October 13, 2021 after medical personnel fraudulently labeled her as a DNR patient, administered a combination of lethal and unnecessary drugs, and then refused the pleas of the patient’s family to perform life-saving measures such as CPR.
The lawsuit names Ascension Health, five medical doctors, four John Doe medical providers, two registered nurses, and the WI Injured Patients and Family Compensation Fund as defendants.
A critical moment in the case, Friday’s hearing saw the defense motion to dismiss the wrongful death charges, arguing that the plaintiff’s claim should be subsumed under medical malpractice—so as to best limit their liability. The defense also motioned to dismiss Schara’s request for a declaratory judgement regarding the illegal DNR, arguing that “the issue is moot, because Grace Schara, the subject of the order, is deceased.”
As more than 100 supporters of the Schara family watched from the crowded courtroom, Judge Mark J. McGinnis granted neither motion—instead electing to set a fast-track date for a three week jury trial. Schara v. Ascension Health et al. will begin trial on November 4th, 2024, just one day before the 2024 Presidential Election.
“This bellwether case is about something much bigger than mere malpractice, and its impact will reverberate nationally,” says Scott Schara2, the plaintiff and father of the disabled teenager killed by the defendants. “Our goal is simple: save lives. That’s why this case is first about the lack of informed consent—a battery—leading to negligence and malpractice, which then resulted in wrongful death. Moreover, this case is about protecting the public from doctors unilaterally placing DNR orders on patients. If we would have had informed consent, Grace would be with us today.”
Before the COVID era, medical malpractice was America’s third leading cause of death; during the COVID era, malpractice has skyrocketed to the nation’s number one cause of death, outpacing even heart disease and cancer.
“The defense doesn’t even bother to hide their cowardly motive,” says OVERTON & ASSOCIATES Founder Andrew Lohse. “Their motion to dismiss cited the Wisconsin Legislature’s statutory ‘scheme’—their word—to limit liability for doctors so as to attract unaccountable healthcare conglomerates to the state. This dangerous ‘scheme’ openly targets citizens with medical murder, and then actively denies them justice when murder takes place. Once awoken to this chilling reality, all Americans will reject it and join our movement for accountability.”
Schara adds, “when a gunman shoots to kill on a city street, he is locked up until his court date. But when a medical worker takes a life through supposed ‘malpractice,’ she is permitted to continue the same dangerous behavior—with the protection of a warped legal system that denies justice for victims. Do corporate hospitals believe they have the right to play God?”
As intense national debate continues to heat up around the existential issues of informed consent, medical malfeasance, deceptive pharmaceutical marketing, and involuntary euthanasia targeting the elderly and disabled, the eyes of America will no doubt increasingly turn to the small township of Freedom, WI—population 6,200—where a David vs. Goliath effort to spotlight these crimes and save lives has coalesced into a national movement.
The blockbuster three week jury trial for Schara v. Ascension et al. is set to begin on Monday, November 4th, 2024. On the trial’s second day, Americans will head to the polls to cast their vote for our next president—in a campaign that is already increasingly defined by key issues of medical freedom.
For more information about the landmark lawsuit Scott Schara v. Ascension Health et al. and Scott Schara’s media availability3, please contact Andrew Lohse at andrew@overtonandassociates.com.
About OVERTON & ASSOCIATES
OVERTON & ASSOCIATES is a strategic communications agency based in Manhattan. Advocating on behalf of causes whose time has come—along with established brands and ambitious startups across a range of industries—OVERTON is animated by a mission to “Move the Window” of perception in an increasingly surreal media landscape.
Andrew Lohse
OVERTON & ASSOCIATES
andrew@overtonandassociates.com
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WATCH NOW: Scott Schara at https://vimeo.com/834119969
1 http://www.graceschara.com
2 https://rumble.com/c/c-2054162
3 https://vimeo.com/834119969