Judge Dismisses Brookfield Woman's Lawsuit Against Elmbrook Schools

BROOKFIELD, WI — A Waukesha County judge dismissed a Brookfield woman's lawsuit against the Elmbrook School District last month, according to court records.

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Aprahamian dismissed Heidi Anderson's lawsuit against the district on May 24, court records showed. Anderson filed the lawsuit in April 2021 asking for any mask mandate in the district to be nullified.

But the school district lifted its mask mandate on May 17, 2021, and never reinstated it, Joel Aziere, an attorney for the district, said in a court hearing on May 6.

Anderson's lawsuit argued she wasn't able to work with district administrators, and her ability to attend her daughter's graduation ceremony was affected because of the mask requirement. She claimed that the mask requirement violated her religious rights.

A federal court ruled for Anderson in a separate lawsuit from 2020, when Anderson was banned from district property after criticizing district policy and lambasting an Elmbrook school board member at an August 2020 meeting.

At the meeting, Anderson called social distancing and masks "pagan rituals of satanic worshippers."

The school district declined to comment. Anderson's lawyer, Brady Henderson, didn't immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

See Also: Elmbrook Parent Sues District Over Face Mask Policy