Fletcher v. State of Alaska

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Status: Open
Court:
United States District Court for the District of Alaska
Issues: Anti-LGBT Rulings, Laws and Amendments, Health Care Fairness, Transgender Rights

Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Alaska on behalf of Jennifer Fletcher, a state legislative librarian who was forced to pay out-of-pocket for medically necessary surgical treatment because the state health insurance plan prohibits such coverage only for transgender state employees.

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Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Alaska on behalf of Jennifer Fletcher, a state legislative librarian who was forced to pay out-of-pocket for medically necessary surgical treatment because the state health insurance plan prohibits such coverage only for transgender state employees.

History

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  • 2014: Client Jennifer Fletcher is diagnosed with gender dysphoria. In consultation with health care professionals, she starts hormone therapy and transitions to living openly as the woman that she is.
  • 2017: Confronted with the AlaskaCare plan's blanket exclusion of transition-related surgical treatment, Jennifer must pay out of her own pocket for medically necessary care.
  • Early 2018: AlaskaCare plan begins covering transition-related hormone therapy, recognizing that such treatment is medically necessary, but continues to categorically prohibit coverage for transition-related surgical treatment, even though it can also be medically necessary.
  • March 2018: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) determines that there was reasonable cause to believe that the State of Alaska has violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
  • June 2018: Lambda Legal files federal lawsuit on Jennifer's behalf, arguing that the State of Alaska has violated the sex discrimination prohibition of Title VII.
  • February 2020: Oral argument at the Alaska District Court. 

Attorneys

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Lambda Legal

Peter Renn, Senior Attorney

Tara Borelli, Counsel

Taylor Brown, Staff Attorney

The Croft Law Office

Eric Croft, Counsel

Clients

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Jennifer Fletcher

Complaints

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Other Legal Documents

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Press Releases

Lambda Legal Asks Court to End Alaska’s Policy Denying Health Care Coverage for Transgender Employees
February 14, 2020
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Lambda Legal Sues State of Alaska for Denying Health Care Coverage to Transgender Employee
June 5, 2018
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Blog Posts

Alaska’s Policy Denying Health Care Coverage for Transgender Employees Must End

February 19, 2020

Alaska Denied Health Care Coverage To A Transgender State Employee. We're Suing.

June 5, 2018
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