Ammon Bundy
BOISE, Idaho – An Idaho hospital accused by a former candidate for governor of kidnapping and trafficking children will get at least $52 million from its defamation lawsuit.
The state Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the result of trial court proceedings in which Diego Rodriguez refused to participate. Rodriguez is an associate of anti-government activist Ammon Bundy, who won 17% of the vote as an independent candidate for governor in 2022.
It’s a win for St. Luke’s Health System and three of its employees who were the subjects of protests after Rodriguez and Bundy used Bundy’s People’s Rights Network and the Freedom Man PAC to spread the idea St. Luke’s was abusing children.
In 2022, Rodriguez’s infant grandson was placed in protective custody for severe malnutrition by the state Department of Health and Welfare. He was treated at St. Luke’s and when Rodriguez took to social media to allege mistreatment, the hospital faced protests, threats and the loss of business.
Its subsequent lawsuit called it a “knowingly dishonest and baseless smear campaign.” The hospital said Rodriguez and Bundy engaged in it to grow their social media presence and raise more than $115,000 in donations.
Rodriguez represented himself and did not appear at key points during the case, including the trial. A default judgment of $52.5 million was entered.
“Rodriguez… asserts that he does not possess legal training and cannot be expected to navigate the complexities of the legal system,” Justice Cynthia K.C. Meyer wrote.
“Although we appreciate the difficulties inherent in representing oneself in legal proceedings, it is well established that self-represented civil ‘litigants are not accorded any special consideration simply because they are representing themselves and are not excused from adhering to procedural rules.’”
St. Luke’s sued on May 11, 2022, and sought a quick injunction. Rodriguez filed an answer but did not respond to interrogatories, leading the hospital to seek sanctions like a limited deposition. It was granted.
Rodriguez, in response to being ordered to pay for the deposition, accused St. Luke’s of “actively and daily engaging in child trafficking – taking money for babies that are put in their care after being kidnapped by force, and… profiting off of it.”
He emailed supporters to log into his Zoom deposition, causing a measure of chaos for the court proceedings. Rodriguez later failed to produce requested documents and said the lawyer for St. Luke’s was “probably a pedophile” and a supporter of “homosexual perversion.”
He refused to appear for a deposition in Orlando, Fla. He posted a video on his “Freedom Man” website furthering his claims against St. Luke’s.
Another deposition was ordered but Rodriguez said he was in Brazil. Another sanctions motion followed, and Rodriguez did not appear at a hearing to defend himself. Attempts to remove the case to federal court failed, and Rodriguez in an email told St. Luke’s lawyer to “stop being a fag.”
By June 13, 2023, the trial court granted the motion for sanctions and struck his pleadings, resulting in a default judgment. A trial on damages commenced.
The night before it started, Rodriguez filed a request to participate remotely. It was denied as untimely, and a week later jurors awarded $52.5 million in damages.
Bundy was found liable for $12.3 million, and Ammon Bundy for Governor was assessed $3.2 million. Bundy attempted to declare bankruptcy to rid himself of the debt, but a bankruptcy judge would not allow him to.
