Over several years, the clinic represented Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and its Connecticut chapters in a multi-pronged effort to end the unlawful discharge of thousands of service members on the alleged ground of a personality or adjustment disorder and to secure redress for the 31,000 men and women discharged on this basis since 2001. The clinic drafted federal legislation and proposed regulations, litigated two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to obtain records regarding these practices, and authored two white papers for VVA analyzing records disclosed in the FOIA litigation.
Case Documents:
Vietnam Veterans of America v. U.S. Dept. of Defense, 10 F.Supp. 3d 245 (D.Conn. 2014) (denying government motion to dismiss FOIA action)
Vietnam Veterans of America v. U.S. Dept. of Defense, 8 F.Supp. 3d 188 (D.Conn. 2014) (granting in part and denying in part Defense Department motion for summary judgment)
Amended Complaint, Vietnam Veterans of America v. U.S. Dept. of Def., 3:10-cv-1972-AWT (D.Conn.) (“VVA I”)
Complaint, Vietnam Veterans of America v. U.S. Dept. of Def., 3:11-cv-2009-WWE (D.Conn.) (“VVA II”)
Reports:
Disorder in the Coast Guard: The United States Coast Guard's Illegal Personality and Adjustment Disorder Discharges (VVA: Feb. 2014)
Casting Troops Aside: The United States Military’s Illegal Personality Disorder Discharge Problem (VVA: Mar. 2012)
Media Clips:
Press Release: Previously Withheld Records Reveal Widespread Illegality in U.S. Coast Guard Mental Health Discharges (Feb. 27, 2014)
James Dao, Branding a Soldier With 'Personality Disorder', The New York Times, Feb. 24, 2012
Lisa Chedekel, Vet Groups Want Answers To ‘Wrongful’ Discharges, New Haven Independent, Dec. 15, 2010
Nikita Lalwani, Law School clinic files second suit this week against Department of Defense, Yale Daily News, Dec. 15, 2010
Joseph Picard, Pentagon swindling vets, lawsuit says, International Business Times, Dec. 15, 2010