BOISE, Idaho — Anti-government activist and former gubernatorial candidate Ammon Bundy and his associate Diego Rodriguez were both no-shows for the first day of trial in a civil case brought against them by St. Luke's Health System.
During jury selection, Ada County District Judge Nancy Baskin told the jury pool on Monday, "This case is somewhat unusual as the defendants have elected not to participate."
Bundy and Rodriguez are not shy of refusing to show up to court -- in April, a judge issued a default judgement, meaning the allegations are moving forward in court against the two because they were frequently refusing to show for depositions in the ongoing legal action, making Monday's trial a way to determine monetary damages that will be awarded to St. Luke's and other plaintiffs who are a part of the suit. The trial can still proceed without Bundy and Rodriguez, but they will have no opportunity to cross-examine any witnesses called by attorneys.
St. Luke's Health System brought a civil suit against the men in May of 2022 claiming they had both engaged in defamation, invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress and trespassing when Bundy's supporters, the "People's Rights Network," conducted a days-long protest outside St. Luke's Boise in March of 2022, due to a child nicknamed "Baby Cyrus" being taken into custody by child protective services for health problems.
The protest caused St. Luke's to go into lockdown for hours on March 15, 2022, forcing the hospital to close to visitors and reroute their emergency services.
Even after that protest, St. Luke's claims Bundy and Rodriguez continued to harass and threaten the hospital's doctors and staff.
KTVB reached out to Bundy on Sunday evening to ask if he planned to show for his trial Monday. He said via text message he was unaware he had a trial and was thankful for the information.
"The courts have become a place where the rich and powerful justify hurting people. I don't care to witness more than I already have," he said in the text.
On the People's Rights website, Bundy seemed to clarify more about why he was not present for the trial. In a letter dated July 10, he wrote to presiding Judge Baskin:
"You in a sense are being set up by your colleagues and if you try to enforce the unlawful and gross ruling of Judge Norton you will be faced with the greatest resistance of your career. On the other hand, if you seek to administer justice and begin to check and undo what Judge Lynn Norton did, you will face peer persecution, coercion, public ridicule and most likely the end of your career as a judge."
"Because you have taken over the rulings of an unjust judge, there is no way out of the trouble it will cause you, unless you also voluntarily recuse yourself as Judge Norton did when she foresaw the terrible consequences that her rulings will cause. Your recusal is not my desire or request," Bundy wrote.
St. Luke's petitioned the court in April to order Gem County officials to serve Bundy at his home in Emmett with legal paperwork, but after many attempts, Gem County Sheriff Donnie Wunder decided continuing to try and contact Bundy was too dangerous to do.
Wunder later issued a press release that stated Bundy was being confrontational and that the sheriff wasn't willing to risk the safety of his deputies over a civil case. After St. Luke's went to the Idaho Supreme Court, Wunder had a change of heart and wrote another letter saying he had further discussions with prosecutors, St. Luke's and their attorneys, so he will once again abide by his statutory duties. St Luke's then withdrew their petition.
Bundy has previously stated the reason he has not participated in the legal proceedings is because he is being strategic, and says St. Luke's continues to harass him even though he has never hurt or harmed anybody.
The trial is expected to last all week. According to a bailiff who was present in the courtroom, jury selection will only be the first day of trial. Opening statements could begin Tuesday.
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