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Case docket

Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University — U.S. District Court, N.D. Ind.

Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University — U.S. District Court, N.D. Ind. — 37 documents in the archive, dated June 21, 2021 to February 22, 2022.

Case facts

CourtU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (18 filings); UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT (4 filings)
Docket numbersNo. 1:21-cv-00238 — main docket · CourtListener docket 107499
No. 21-2326 (no document in the archive is numbered on it) — other docket filed with this case
Filings37 public filings
Filed2021-06-21 – 2022-02-22
Original PDFs37 of 37

Case summary

Eight Indiana University students filed a verified complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief on June 21, 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, No. 1:21-cv-00238-DRL-SLC, against the Trustees of Indiana University. The complaint arises under the Fourteenth Amendment and Indiana Code § 16-39-11-5, Indiana's Vaccine Passport Law, and concerns the constitutionality of the university's vaccine mandate. The plaintiffs moved for a preliminary injunction the same day. On February 16, 2022 the Seventh Circuit held in No. 21-2326 that the only plaintiff with standing had withdrawn from the university, vacated the district court's judgment and remanded with instructions to dismiss as moot. Judge Damon R. Leichty entered final judgment on February 22, 2022 dismissing the case as moot.

Case at a glance

PartiesPlaintiffs: Ryan Klaassen, Jaime Carini, D.J.B. by his next friend and father Daniel G. Baumgartner, Ashlee Morris, Seth Crowder, Macey Policka, Margaret Roth and Natalie Sperazza. Defendant: The Trustees of Indiana University
Court and docketU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, No. 1:21-cv-00238-DRL-SLC, Judge Damon R. Leichty; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, No. 21-2326
ProgramNot named in the filings on this page
ClaimsDeclaratory and injunctive relief under the Fourteenth Amendment and Indiana Code § 16-39-11-5, Indiana's Vaccine Passport Law, challenging the constitutionality of Indiana University's vaccine mandate
Disposition or statusDistrict court judgment vacated and the case remanded with instructions to dismiss as moot by the Seventh Circuit on February 16, 2022; final judgment entered February 22, 2022 dismissing the case as moot
Status checked2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read

Why was the case dismissed as moot?

Because, as the Seventh Circuit put it, the only plaintiff with standing withdrew from the university. The court recorded that the seven plaintiffs who assert that vaccination is inconsistent with their religious beliefs could obtain religious exemptions, so standing depended on the eighth plaintiff, Natalie Sperazza, who at oral argument said she had no plans to return as a student.

What did the Seventh Circuit order?

That the judgment of the district court is vacated and the case remanded with instructions to dismiss as moot. It distinguished the case from one involving an evanescent policy, saying the obstacle to resolution was the withdrawal of the only plaintiff with standing.

What did the final judgment say?

That in accordance with the court of appeals' order and instructions the case is dismissed as moot. The form records the case as decided by Judge Damon R. Leichty, with neither a jury verdict nor a trial to the bench.

Docket

37 documents in docket-entry order; attachments follow their entry. Gaps name the entries we do not have.

No. 1:21-cv-00238 — main docket

  1. Verified Complaint — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 1 · CourtListener docket 107499
  2. Exhibit — IU Restart Committee Recommendations for Fall 2021 — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind., 2021-07-12, 2)Entry 1, attachment 5 · CourtListener docket 107499
  3. Exhibit — COVID-19 Risk Data for College Students — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind., 2021-07-12, 3)Entry 1, attachment 8 · CourtListener docket 107499
  4. —Entries 2–6 are not in the archive
  5. Motion for Preliminary Injunction — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 7 · CourtListener docket 107499
  6. —Entry 8 is not in the archive
  7. Motion to Expedite — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 9 · CourtListener docket 107499
  8. Motion to Consolidate — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 10 · CourtListener docket 107499
  9. —Entry 11 is not in the archive
  10. Recusal Order — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 12 · CourtListener docket 107499
  11. —Entries 13–14 are not in the archive
  12. IU's Opposition to Motion to Expedite — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 15 · CourtListener docket 107499
  13. —Entry 16 is not in the archive
  14. Reply in Support of Motion to Expedite — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 17 · CourtListener docket 107499
  15. —Entries 18–19 are not in the archive
  16. Memorandum of Scheduling Conference & Order — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 20 · CourtListener docket 107499
  17. IU's Opposition to Motion for Preliminary Injunction — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 21 · CourtListener docket 107499
  18. Declaration of Cole Beeler, M.D. — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 21, attachment 1 · CourtListener docket 107499
  19. Margaret Roth — Exhibit C (USDC IN/ND case 1:21-cv-00238-DRL-SLC document 21-3)Entry 21, attachment 3 · CourtListener docket 107499
  20. Declaration of Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 21, attachment 5 · CourtListener docket 107499
  21. Reply in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 22 · CourtListener docket 107499
  22. —Entries 23–28 are not in the archive
  23. Plaintiffs' Exhibit Index for Preliminary Injunction Hearing — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 29 · CourtListener docket 107499
  24. —Entry 30 is not in the archive
  25. —Entry 31: main document not in the archive
  26. Deposition of Ryan Klaassen — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 21 · CourtListener docket 107499
  27. Deposition of Jaime Carini — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 22 · CourtListener docket 107499
  28. Deposition of D.J.B. — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 23 · CourtListener docket 107499
  29. Deposition of Seth Crowder — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 25 · CourtListener docket 107499
  30. Deposition of Macey Policka — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 26 · CourtListener docket 107499
  31. Deposition of Margaret Roth — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 27 · CourtListener docket 107499
  32. Deposition of Natalie Sperazza — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 28 · CourtListener docket 107499
  33. Deposition of Cole Beeler, M.D. — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 31, attachment 29 · CourtListener docket 107499
  34. 30(b)(6) Deposition of Aaron Carroll, M.D. — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 31, attachment 30 · CourtListener docket 107499
  35. —Entry 32: main document not in the archive
  36. Exhibit — Plaintiffs' Deposition Testimony Summary — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind., 2021-07-12, 1)Entry 32, attachment 22 · CourtListener docket 107499
  37. —Entry 33 is not in the archive
  38. Opinion & Order Denying Preliminary Injunction — Klaassen v. Indiana UniversityEntry 34 · CourtListener docket 107499
  39. Notice of Appeal — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 35 · CourtListener docket 107499
  40. —Entry 36 is listed under More documents below
  41. Motion for Injunction Pending Appeal — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 37 · CourtListener docket 107499
  42. —Entry 39 is not in the archive; entry 38 is listed under More documents below
  43. Order Denying Injunction Pending Appeal — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 40 · CourtListener docket 107499
  44. Hearing Transcript — Preliminary Injunction — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 41 · CourtListener docket 107499
  45. —Entries 42–43 and 45 are not in the archive; entry 44 is listed under More documents below
  46. Plaintiffs' Motion to Stay District Court Proceedings — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 46 · CourtListener docket 107499
  47. —Entry 47 is not in the archive
  48. IU's Response in Opposition to Motion to Stay — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 48 · CourtListener docket 107499
  49. IU's Answer to Verified Complaint — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 49 · CourtListener docket 107499
  50. —Entries 50–53 are not in the archive
  51. Seventh Circuit Opinion — Dismissal as Moot — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 54 · CourtListener docket 107499
  52. —Entry 55 is not in the archive
  53. Final Judgment — Dismissal as Moot — Klaassen v. Indiana University (N.D. Ind.)Entry 56 · CourtListener docket 107499

Documents without an entry number

  1. Seventh Circuit opinion — Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University (N.D. Ind.) · CourtListener docket 44401

More documents from this case’s dockets

6 more documents linked to this case’s dockets are in the archive and not in the docket above.

  1. Plaintiffs’ Motion for Substitution of PartyMotion for Substitution of Party, Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University, No. 1:21-cv-238-DRL-SLC, document 28 (July 11, 2021).
  2. Klaassen et al v. The Trustees of Indiana University — Civil Docket (Document 38, Case 1:21-cv-00238-DRL-SLC)Docket sheetDoc. 38 in Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University, No. 1:21-cv-00238 (N.D. Ind.): docket sheet and July 18, 2021 order denying preliminary injunction.
  3. Notice of Preliminary Pretrial Conference — Klaassen v. The Trustees of Indiana University (Doc. 44)Notice
  4. Report of Parties’ Planning MeetingReport of Parties' Planning Meeting, Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University, No. 1:21-cv-238-DRL-SLC (N.D. Ind.), filed September 23, 2021.
  5. undatedCourt Filing, Doc. 32-9
  6. undatedPlaintiffs-Appellants' Docketing Statement — Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University (Dkt. 36)Source documentDocketing Statement, Klaassen v. Trustees of Indiana University, No. 1:21-cv-238-DRL-SLC (N.D. Ind., July 20, 2021).

Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.

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