In one of our earliest blog posts, we examined the challenges that face those who elect to proceed pro se--that is, litigants who choose to "fight the fight" without the benefit of professional representation. One of the individuals we featured in that piece was Susan A. Hudock, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, who is waging a battle against her former employer, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
As we previously reported, Ms. Hudock filed suit against the drug company on the grounds that the termination of her employment violated federal law (the "Americans with Disabilities Act"). While a jury ultimately found the company free of any civil liability, John Hudock, Susan Hudock's brother, recently confirmed that Susan has perfected her appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
John clarified that his sister initially had an attorney who represented her interests in the underlying case but, when she could no longer afford to subsidize the mounting fees and costs, counsel eventually withdrew, forcing Susan to proceed unrepresented. Despite the many hardships and hurdles which the case has presented the entire Hudock family--and we hear from John that there have been quite a few--Susan continues to pursue what all litigants rightfully desire: Justice. She is to be commended for her perseverance.
John graciously supplied us with copies of his sister's appellate briefs. We have uploaded the files and provided links to those documents below. We'll provide our readers with an update when the Circuit Court issues its decision.
For a copy of Ms. Hudock's appeal brief (exhibits excluded), please click on the following link:
Hudock v. Aventis, Appellant's Brief
For a copy of Ms. Hudock's reply brief, please click on the following link:
Hudock v. Aventis, Appellant's Reply Brief
To review our original blog post "Going Pro Se: Rethinking Attorneys' Roles," please click on the following link:
http://www.nyrealestatelawblog.com/2006/03/going_pro_se_rethinking_attorn.html
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UPDATE
Ms. Hudock's appeal was ultimately unsuccessful.
On April 25, 2007, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the District Court's judgment.
For more on this story, please use this link: http://www.nyrealestatelawblog.com/2007/07/hudock_v_aventis_goliath_beats.html#001130