{"id":1350,"date":"2025-05-28T20:47:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T00:47:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/news\/case\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T14:50:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T14:50:54","slug":"av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund","status":"publish","type":"case","link":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/","title":{"rendered":"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund"},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"case_status":[],"court":[],"class_list":["post-1350","case","type-case","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"case_number":"","featured_image":1355,"date_updated":"20250710","date_filed":null,"call_to_action":null,"attorney":"","judge":"","pro_bono_firm":"","partner_organizations":"","summary":"The ACLU of Vermont and partners are suing Vermont DCF, Lund, and Copley Hospital for egregious constitutional violations against a pregnant woman, A.V. This case exposes DCF's grave pattern of surveillance, deception, and violation of Vermont's Reproductive Liberty Amendment.","components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"The ACLU of Vermont, along with partners including Pregnancy Justice, filed a lawsuit against the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Lund, and Copley Hospital on January 15, 2025. Filed under the initials \"A.V.\u201d, the suit alleges that DCF conducted an unlawful \"assessment\" of Vermont resident A.V. during her pregnancy based on unsubstantiated claims about her mental health, including accessing highly personal medical records regarding her pregnancy choices without her knowledge or consent. Lund and Copley Hospital improperly shared A.V.\u2019s confidential information and assisted DCF in surveilling A.V. during her pregnancy.\r\n\r\nWith the assistance of multiple direct service providers and without ever notifying A.V., DCF unlawfully surveilled her during her pregnancy, lied to a state court that she had given birth in order to gain custody of her fetus while she was still pregnant, attempted to force an involuntary cesarean surgery, and subsequently seized and retained her newborn baby for seven months while attempting to sever her parental rights\u2014all in violation of her reproductive and fundamental rights.\r\n\r\nAn unfounded report in January 2022 stated A.V. \u201dappeared to have untreated mental health issues,\u201d leading DCF to open an \u201cassessment for lack of parental capacity.\u201d DCF initiated this assessment without speaking to A.V., despite having no legal authority to investigate a fetus or conduct such an evaluation on a first-time expectant parent for lack of parental capacity.\r\n\r\nDCF's \"assessment\" is intended to be a voluntary and supportive process, yet the agency failed to notify A.V. and instead illegally obtained highly sensitive medical information about her from Copley Hospital and Lund. This reflects DCF's ongoing and unlawful practice of infringing on the privacy rights of expectant parents. For example, the lawsuit alleges that DCF maintains a \"high-risk pregnancy calendar,\" a standardless registry the agency uses to track people it deems unable to parent effectively before their child is born. The agency has since publicly confirmed the existence of this calendar<\/a> in a meeting with lawmakers in March 2025.\r\n\r\nCopley Hospital informed DCF when A.V. went into labor on February 11, 2022. This prompted DCF to seek a family court order transferring custody of A.V.'s fetus to the agency, again without her knowledge. In its affidavit, DCF falsely stated that \"Baby [V.]\" had already been born. The agency also used confidential details about A.V.'s own victimization and history with DCF as a child, presenting it as proof of her alleged parental incapacity. The court granted DCF's request.\r\n\r\nAfter unlawfully taking custody of A.V.'s fetus, and while A.V. was in labor unaware, the State then sought an order from a different court trying to force A.V. to undergo a cesarean section against her will, despite no mental health professional ever finding that she lacked capacity to make her own medical choices. DCF argued that A.V.\u2019s preference for a vaginal delivery indicated mental illness. While an emergency hearing on the forced cesarean was underway, still without her knowledge, A.V. consented to the surgery, and she soon gave birth to a healthy daughter.\r\n\r\nHowever, hospital staff immediately seized her baby and refused to let A.V. hold her. Only then did A.V. learn of DCF's weeks-long assessment and legal actions. For the next seven months, she was only allowed infrequent, monitored visits with her baby, often in intimidating places like police stations, as DCF fought to maintain custody. Despite DCF's claims, a mental health evaluation confirmed A.V. was capable of caring for her child.\r\n\r\nAfter hearing the evidence, the court finally reunited the family in September 2022. DCF dismissed its petition in November 2022, approximately nine months after it first took custody of A.V.\u2019s child as a fetus.\r\n\r\nA.V. is seeking redress for the violation of her statutory and constitutional rights, and to ensure that no Vermonter experiences what she experienced again. The Complaint pleads 13 counts against Defendants, including what may be the first-ever claim based on Article 22 of the Vermont Constitution\u2014known more commonly as \"Proposition 5\" or the Reproductive Liberty Amendment, adopted by an overwhelming majority of Vermont voters in 2022.\r\n\r\nThis case exposes a grave pattern of constitutional violations here in Vermont. DCF's surveillance, deception, and forceful separation of A.V. from her child, all based on unfounded judgments about how a pregnant person should manage her pregnancy, represent a direct assault on the fundamental rights guaranteed by Vermont's Reproductive Liberty Amendment \u2013 an individual's right to make their own reproductive decisions. This terrifying precedent of state intrusion into the most personal and private aspects of life underscores the importance of fundamental civil rights protections for all Vermonters.\r\n\r\nA.V. is represented by the ACLU of Vermont, Pregnancy Justice, attorney Sarah Star, and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (US) LLP."}}],"legal_documents":[{"court":null,"documents":[{"document_options":"document","document":4214,"title":"12-17-25 \u2013 Order on Motion to Dismiss ","subtitle":"","date_filed":null,"drupal_node_id":"","slug":"","child_documents":null},{"document_options":"document","document":1353,"title":"03-21-25 - Resp., Copley - Answer","subtitle":"","date_filed":null,"drupal_node_id":"","slug":"","child_documents":null},{"document_options":"document","document":1351,"title":"01-15-2025 - Pet. - Complaint","subtitle":"","date_filed":null,"drupal_node_id":"","slug":"","child_documents":null}]}],"plaintiffs":null,"co-counsel":null,"issues":[1375,1372],"related_content_publications":null,"press_releases_related_to_cases":[1622],"related_news":[2231],"related_content_cases":null},"yoast_head":"\nA.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund - ACLU of Vermont<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund - ACLU of Vermont\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ACLU of Vermont and partners are suing Vermont DCF, Lund, and Copley Hospital for egregious constitutional violations against a pregnant woman, A.V. This case exposes DCF's grave pattern of surveillance, deception, and violation of Vermont's Reproductive Liberty Amendment.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ACLU of Vermont\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-22T14:50:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/app\/themes\/aclu-parent\/img\/default_fb_share.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/\",\"name\":\"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund - ACLU of Vermont\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-29T00:47:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-22T14:50:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Cases\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/\",\"name\":\"ACLU of Vermont\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ACLU of Vermont\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Vermont_Color-Logo_RGB.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Vermont_Color-Logo_RGB.png\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":2000,\"caption\":\"ACLU of Vermont\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund - ACLU of Vermont","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund - ACLU of Vermont","og_description":"The ACLU of Vermont and partners are suing Vermont DCF, Lund, and Copley Hospital for egregious constitutional violations against a pregnant woman, A.V. This case exposes DCF's grave pattern of surveillance, deception, and violation of Vermont's Reproductive Liberty Amendment.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/","og_site_name":"ACLU of Vermont","article_modified_time":"2025-12-22T14:50:54+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/app\/themes\/aclu-parent\/img\/default_fb_share.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/","url":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/","name":"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund - ACLU of Vermont","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-05-29T00:47:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-22T14:50:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/av-v-vermont-dept-children-and-families-copley-hospital-and-lund\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Cases","item":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/cases\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A.V. v. Vermont Dept. for Children and Families; Copley Hospital; and Lund"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/","name":"ACLU of Vermont","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#organization","name":"ACLU of Vermont","url":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Vermont_Color-Logo_RGB.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Vermont_Color-Logo_RGB.png","width":2000,"height":2000,"caption":"ACLU of Vermont"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"ACLU of Vermont","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/1350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/1350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4217,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/1350\/revisions\/4217"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/1622"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/1372"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/1375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"case_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_status?post=1350"},{"taxonomy":"court","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/court?post=1350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}