One would think I would be buried with my face in a pillow after opening a letter tonight from the Supreme Court of California stamped DENIED. But…why am I not in shock? Because lawmakers continue to ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act after 35 years.
This ruling was not about a discrimination lawsuit. I’d had wrong side and type of surgery, left with a disfigured and dysfunctional nose, ghosted by the surgeon and hospital, and sought justice like any other American citizen. After contacting a plethora of attorneys, I got the same message that it’s a great case, the evidence is there, but the payout just isn’t enough for the the research involved, and there are much bigger cases out there for them.
With no law knowledge, bored to tears with legal TV shows, and blind, I persevered on my path to justice regardless. Win or lose, I wasn’t going to let them get screw up my body and toss me to the side like I’m trash. I knew pursuing justice would be hard, but I didn’t know that ‘the system‘ would be who made it harder, and that people who are Pro Per or Pro Se, which means self-represented, is a major pet peeve in the courts. Early in this journey someone told me, “when the justice system was created, they made it so that poor people and black people would lose”. I didn’t believe that. It sounded so harsh.
Now, let’s set aside the devious tactics from bottom feeder defense attorneys stooping below deck to get a paycheck. Let’s move on to the judicial system, itself. The judge in the lower court, after constantly denying and vacating every time I sneeze and denying my Peremptory Challenge – a one shot document stating you want the judge to remove themself from your case, which of course, she denied – went to the extreme to put in writing that I am faking blindness and thus, shows my lack of credibility and merit, and “showed up in this courtroom for the first time with a white cane in her hand to ask for an ADA Accommodation“.
Everything she had done up to this point suddenly made sense. I responded with 20 years, that’s right TWO DECADES of medical records proving that I’m blind, offered her to roll security footage, ask the clerks, the security guards, the information desk, and the Law Library, if I’ve had a cane at the courthouse since 2023 when the cases were first filed. There was back and forth documents between the two of us and she declared she ‘stands by her opinion’ and had all of the documents “hidden”, but used a legal term for hiding documents.
Now, sidetracked from researching my case in the middle of Summary Judgment, the utter shock of a judge telling a litigant they are faking a disability, lack of credit, then removing disability related documents from an expert is beyond derogatory. The most demeaning thing you can do to someone with a disability, is say they are faking. There was zero doubt in my mind that I wasn’t getting a fair trial when I filed the Peremptory Challenge, but after the false accusations about my disability, I know, 110% that there will be justice at the end. But, there are higher ups in the court who can give me a nonbiased judge now, right? I mean, surely after someone is called a racial slur by a judge, that judge is removed from the case, right? I could not find this, nor any disability case law examples to give.
After researching my next steps: 1) I filed a Court Grievance Procedure for Disability Discrimination with the ADA Coordinator, and began to wait the 30-60 days to receive my answer in writing, as stated in the instructions from the courthouse. 2) I filed a Writ of Mandate with the Appeals court to overturn that Peremptory Challenge – letting them know it’s not about the Challenge, its about removing her after making these derogatory, false accusations. 3) I wrote a massive document showing the unjustified denials previously that led up to the judge calling me a fake blind person and delivered it to the Presiding Judge. For all of these, I attached the two decades of retina specialist records, guide dog letters, and the derogatory gaslighting from the judge with our responses back and forth. I included in these documents the California Rules of Court referenced in their own documents on their court website and the laws and instructions from the Judicial Council on Providing Disability Accommodations. None of these documents seem to apply in real situations. 4) I also mailed a huge packed Priority Mail to Rob Bonta, whom I voted for for Attorney General, and 5) submitted numerous complaints to the Commission on Judicial Performance.
The Writ was denied. The ADA coordinator, at the end of the 60 days, was oblivious to the court rules about the Grievance letter and kept saying I had to file an appeal, which I had, and explained that this was nothing to be appealed, it was discrimination and accusing me of faking my disability. It was like he’d never heard of the Court Grievance Procedure that was created by the department he works in and posted on their website on the internet. He just didn’t get it. That document stated that if that fails, next you 6) file with a letter of Grievance with the Court Coordinator. I typed up a new document and included what I’d sent to the Court ADA Coordinator and how he wouldn’t acknowledge it. The address it said to mail it to, happens to be the same room and department as the ADA Coordinator, who did not understand this was a procedure the court stated to take when harassed by a judge about being disabled. Once again, we’re approaching the 30 to 60 day mark where I shall “receive a final response in a format accessible to you”.
Upon receiving the denial of the Writ from the Appeals court, 7) I filed a Petition for Review with the Supreme Court of California. Why? Why do I need to go all the way to the Supreme Court to ask for a different judge after the one overseeing my case is pleasuring herself by writing up documents that I’m faking blindness and only used a cane to get accommodations? (all of which she denied, by the way). I was furious while writing the Petition for Review. Mind you, all of these court documents must be in specific margins, fonts, alignment, with miniscule formatting details or the entire thing will get thrown out. You know what’s not allowed? Accessible documents for blind or vision impaired folks. Yep, I’m bowing to accommodate them, while they all joyfully kick me in the ass while I’m already down from the wrong surgery. I have never heard a peep from Alex Padilla’s office. The Judicial Commission sent several letters stating they found nothing wrong with what the judge did.
Again, WHY did I have to go this far? It should have been addressed by the lower court where it began. What if a teacher had done this to a student? An employer to an employee? Court is a public entity paid for by taxpayers.
When I finally complete the Petition for Review for the California Supreme Court, I’m disgusted at the world we live in. I’ve been a proud Californian for the last 22 years, but the love is not returned by our lawmakers. Tonight, I open up that big fat DENIAL.
I have to continue my case with a judge who has thrown out legit evidence in my case regarding ADA Violations, defaced my complaints to minimize my case and removed relief requested amount, interlineated two cases into one, and has put in writing that I am not blind and have nothing obstructing my vision and that I showed up holding a white cane for show one day. I have to finish this case with a woman who speaks to me like I am beneath her, cutting off my sentences. None of this behavior is displayed toward the opposing team.
Who are the decision makers in this? How many people with a disability serves the Supreme Court, the Appeals Court, the Superior Courts? How many ADA Coordinators have a disability? How can any of these people decide that there is nothing wrong with what that judge said? How can any of these people who have no idea what it’s like to be in a person with a disability’s body and be told they are ‘faking’, decide it’s not an issue?
The Judicial Council, who typed up a cutesy little document informing judicial officers (judges) how to handle things related to the Americans with Disabilities Act. This council also does the occasional ‘diversity’ report. In March 2025 the Judicial Officer (JO) Demographic Data report stated that California’s Judicial Bench held 3.5% people with disabilities. Did any of these pwd aide in making the decision that ongoing disability harassment is acceptable from fellow judicial officers? Is this 3.5% given a questionarie at some point to give input on what is acceptable? Is this 3.5% aware of the mind torture fellow judicial officers are unleashing on pro per litigants to inflict additional emotional distress during their case?
I guess that I have been the fool in thinking that because I have so much evidence to prove what the surgeon did, that there is no denying what happened, and any judge would chastise her and the hospital for their negligence. But it turns out that “it was designed to destroy any chance for poor people, black people, and disabled people to achieve justice, and only to ensure that they lose“.
There is a correction to this article. Rob Bonta, the California Attorney General, was the State of California government employee whose office did not respond to the packet of information regarding this situation. Alex Padilla and Mr. Padilla’s office, who were previously stated in error on June 24, 2025, were not involved.
