Aloha KSAASC Alumni!

 

KSAASC Board I MUA KAMEHAMEHA If you would like your email removed, please reply to this email with REMOVE. -----Original Message----- From: KS Alumni To: KS Alumni Sent: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 10:34 pm Subject: Update on Jacob Doe vs. Kamehameha Schools Aloha mai kakou,   There has been a significant development in Jacob Doe vs. Kamehameha Schools, the lawsuit challenging our admissions policy brought by four anonymous plaintiffs and their parents.   You may recall tha t the attorneys for the Doe plaintiffs filed a motion asking the U.S. District Court to allow their clients to proceed anonymously, which  Kamehameha Schools opposed.   Their motion was denied by Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren, and, on appeal, by Judge Michael Seabright.&nbs p; Thereafter, the plaintiffs declined to agree to disclose their identities.   This morning, at the request of the plaintiffs’ attorneys (Eric Grant and David Rosen), Judge Seabright dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice.  Attorney Rosen has stated that he intends to file an appeal of the lower court’s rulings with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.    We appreciate the thoughtful deliberation that Magistrate Judge Kurren and Judge Seabright applied in rejecting the plaintiffs' attorneys request to proceed anonymously.   As we've stated before, our Trustees would never take an action that would place a child in danger; we believe an appeal has no merit and we will oppose it.   What this means   If the Ninth Circuit  Court of Appeals in San Francisco upholds the lower court’s ruling on anonymity, then the original lawsuit is dismissed with finality and cannot be refiled.  If the appeals court reverses the lower court ruling on anonymity, then the plaintiffs may proceed anonymously with the original lawsuit.  We expect the appeals process to take several months.   The Trustees have said this before, but it bears repeating: we believe we have the right to face those who challenge our policy, and we will continue to stand our ground on that issue. Even as we assert our rights in court, we will behave in th e pono way that Pauahi would have expected.    Me ke aloha,   Ann Botticelli VP Community Relations & Communications Kamehameha Schools 567 S. King Street, suite 400 Honolulu, HI  96813 (808) 534-3870 (o) (808) 753-6187 (c) style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline">