Kadel v. Folwell

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

Lambda Legal and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) filed a federal lawsuit against North Carolina officials for discrimination in state employee health care.

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The North Carolina State Health Plan (NCSHP), the state employee health plan, categorically excludes coverage for gender-confirming health care. Lambda Legal and TLDEF are representing several current and former state employees and their children who were denied coverage under the plan for medically necessary health care because they are transgender.

Click here to meet the plaintiffs.

History

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  • March 2019: Case filed.

Attorneys

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Lambda Legal

Taylor Brown, Staff Attorney

Tara Borelli, Counsel

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, Senior Attorney and Health Care Strategist

Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF)

Noah Lewis

Harris Wiltshire & Grannis LLP

Amy E. Richardson

Lauren Snyder

Deepika Ravi

Clients

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Max Kadel (pronouns he/him), a 36-year-old transgender man who works as an Administrative Support Associate at the UNC School of Government.

Michael Bunting (pronouns he/him), Shelley Bunting (pronouns she/her), and C.B. (pronouns he/him). Shelley and Michael, who has been a UNC employee since 1990, are parents of 13-year-old C.B., who is transgender.

Jason Fleck (pronouns he/him), Alexis Thonen (pronouns she/her), and Connor Thonen-Fleck (pronouns he/him). Jason Fleck and Alexis Thonen, both UNC Greensboro (UNCG) employees, are parents of 16-year-old Connor Thonen-Fleck, who is transgender.

Julia McKeown (pronouns she/her), a 43-year-old transgender woman who is an Assistant Professor in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences Department of North Carolina State University College of Education.

Sam Silvaine (pronouns he/him, they/them), a 30-year-old transgender person who was employed at North Carolina State University and enrolled in the NCSHP Plan from 2016-2018.

Complaints

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Press Releases

Lambda Legal and TLDEF Sue North Carolina Officials for Denying Health Care Coverage to Transgender Employees And Children
March 11, 2019
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