Culver City School COVID Vaccine Lawsuit Headed To Arbitration

CULVER CITY, CA - A lawsuit brought against The Willows school by two sets of parents and the nonprofit group Protection for the Educational Rights of Kids that deals with the school's former coronavirus vaccine mandate will be decided by an arbitrator rather than a jury.

Plaintiffs Paul and Dee Barshon, as well as Yotam Shochat and Shira Aflalo, along with PERK, allege the private Culver City school breached a contract by forcing their children to be taught an inferior education by taking lessons remotely because the students were not vaccinated against the coronavirus.

During a Tuesday hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kerry Bensinger granted a school motion to compel arbitration, having received no opposition from the parents. None of the children still attend the school.

In the suit filed Jan. 12, the plaintiffs maintain that the school's vaccination rule exceeded its authority because it is up to the state Department of Public Health to make such regulations for students. The parents and PERK also contend that The Willows improperly disallowed religious or other exemptions to taking the shot.

The plaintiffs also argue that the enrollment contract between the school and themselves is ambiguous because the then-mandatory vaccination policy was not something anticipated by the two sides when they signed the agreement.

The judge scheduled a post-arbitration status conference for May 2, 2025.

City News Service