Judge Frances Fisher’s Lawsuit Against SAG-AFTRA “Prejudice” Rejects

A federal judge dismissed Frances Fisher’s lawsuit against SAG-AFTRA, in which the actress accused the union and several of its former and current leaders of violating their fair representation duties by raising eligibility requirements for coverage under the plan.

. U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder on Thursday dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Fisher and her co-plaintiffs could not file a lawsuit again. Snyder had previously dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, allowing Fisher to file an amended lawsuit.

Fisher, the association’s Los Angeles local first vice president and national board member, Gabrielle Carteris, former SAG-AFTRA chairman, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director, David White, former national executive director, hiring director. Ray Rodriguez and several other SAG-AFTRA officials as defendants. Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit included SAG-AFTRA members David Andrews, Belinda Balaski, Stephen Hart, Raymond Harry Johnson, Ann Lockhart and Toby Stone-Mandelberg.

Read the judge’s decision here.

“To the plaintiffs’ DFR [Duty of Fair Representation] The judge argued, the court said, that the amendment would be futile because plaintiffs would not be able to assert the truth in successive claims that met the causal standard or the six-month statute of limitations. Similarly, Plaintiffs have not made any recognizable claim from Section 501 in their successive defenses, and Plaintiffs have not made other assertive claims in summaries and oral arguments, for example stating that the Defendant has not made it clear. Gaining any personal benefit that could support a Section 501 claim to the detriment of the Union as a whole or as a result of the controversial actions of Carteris, White, or Crabtree-Ireland.

Section 501 prohibits job discrimination against people with disabilities, and Fisher argued that union changes in health insurance eligibility disproportionately affected older members.

His case was different but similar to a lawsuit filed in December against the health plan’s trustees alleging that changes to the eligibility rules were “illegally discriminated against by age.” to keep the plan afloat. Like Fisher, two of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, former SAG chairman Ed Asner and LA Local vice president David Jolliffe, joined forces with MembershipFirst, the union’s opposition party.

A union spokesperson said: “We are pleased to finally and forcefully bring this matter to an end.” said. “The court correctly determined that plaintiff’s claims for fair representation were doomed to failure.” Moreover, the court finds no credible allegation of breach of fiduciary duty by any of the defendants. This was the plaintiffs’ third attempt, and the court has now closed the door to further attempts. We will continue to move forward and fight for our members.”

Deadline reached Fisher and will be updated if she responds.