The John P. Sarbanes Courage Awards honor clients and others who exhibit tremendous courage in the face of injustice. In 2021, the Public Justice Center recognizes Dominique Andrews, S.B., Kevin Baxter, Jennifer Graham, Daniel Mason, and Alonzo Mitchell – the six plaintiffs in D.A. v. Hogan; Mia Ballou and Monique Dillard; and Shalonda Glascoe.
Dominique Andrews, a plaintiff in D.A. v. Hogan, showed immense courage in her honesty about how unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic caused her to change job paths to have a better chance to make ends meet for her family. Dominique joined five other plaintiffs in the case to fight the early termination of federal pandemic unemployment benefits. Together, they demonstrated bravery in trusting the attorneys to represent them in a case whose success was uncertain and in sharing personal details of how a loss of these benefits would affect their lives with the Court and in news interviews. Their courage and candor impressed the Court and was essential to the victory.
S.B., a plaintiff in D.A. v. Hogan, showed immense courage by being open about how his unemployment during the pandemic impacted his family and pushed them to the brink of homelessness. S.B. joined five other plaintiffs in the case to fight the early termination of federal pandemic unemployment benefits. Together, they demonstrated bravery in trusting the attorneys to represent them in a case whose success was uncertain and in sharing personal details of how a loss of these benefits would affect their lives with the Court and in news interviews. Their courage and candor impressed the Court and was essential to the victory.
Kevin Baxter, a plaintiff in D.A. v. Hogan, showed immense courage in speaking on behalf of the plaintiffs in several interviews and at a news conference, where he spoke openly about his personal experiences. Kevin joined five other plaintiffs in the case to fight the early termination of federal pandemic unemployment benefits. Together, they demonstrated bravery in trusting the attorneys to represent them in a case whose success was uncertain and in sharing personal details of how a loss of these benefits would affect their lives with the Court and in news interviews. Their courage and candor impressed the Court and was essential to the victory.
Jennifer Graham, a plaintiff in D.A. v. Hogan, showed immense courage in disclosing the mental health implications of the early loss of federal unemployment benefits on her life, including in news interviews. Jennifer joined five other plaintiffs in the case to fight the early termination of federal pandemic unemployment benefits. Together, they demonstrated bravery in trusting the attorneys to represent them in a case whose success was uncertain and in sharing personal details of how a loss of these benefits would affect their lives with the Court and in news interviews. Their courage and candor impressed the Court and was essential to the victory.
Daniel Mason, a plaintiff in D.A. v. Hogan, showed immense courage in revealing the mental health ramifications of losing federal unemployment benefits early. Daniel joined five other plaintiffs in the case to fight the early termination of federal pandemic unemployment benefits. Together, they demonstrated bravery in trusting the attorneys to represent them in a case whose success was uncertain and in sharing personal details of how a loss of these benefits would affect their lives with the Court and in news interviews. Their courage and candor impressed the Court and was essential to the victory.
Alonzo Mitchell, a plaintiff in D.A. v. Hogan, showed immense courage in detailing the physical health consequences of losing federal unemployment benefits early. Alonzo joined five other plaintiffs in the case to fight the early termination of federal pandemic unemployment benefits. Together, they demonstrated bravery in trusting the attorneys to represent them in a case whose success was uncertain and in sharing personal details of how a loss of these benefits would affect their lives with the Court and in news interviews. Their courage and candor impressed the Court and was essential to the victory.
Mia Ballou and Monique Dillard showed courage, tenacity, and readiness to help others in standing up to their landlord’s multiple attempts to evict them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sisters living in the same unit, Ms. Ballou works hard to pay the bills and care for Ms. Dillard, who has several medical issues. They have been on the brink of eviction twice because of pandemic-related loss of income. We helped them apply successfully for rental assistance under the Center for Disease Control’s order, and their eviction hearing was scheduled while they were waiting on funds to pay their past-due rent. We filed an emergency motion to reserve judgement under the CDC order, which delayed their eviction. Then, their landlord refused to accept rental assistance funds from Baltimore City, so the sisters worked with us to get relocation funds. Throughout the months-long process, the sisters have shared their story publicly in the hope that it will help people in the same situation.
Shalonda Glascoe’s persistence in the face of multiple eviction actions and public scrutiny demonstrates courage and is an inspiration. Ms. Glascoe rents her home in Baltimore and fell behind on rent when she lost income during the pandemic. We represented Ms. Glascoe against several eviction actions, including her landlord’s attempt to evict her by not renewing her lease rather than claiming failure to pay rent. The judge ultimately ruled in her favor and renewed her lease because of a local law that protects tenants from an eviction filings within six months of a complaint about serious habitability defects; she and her landlord had recently settled a dispute over unsafe living conditions in her home. Without representation, Ms. Glascoe likely would not have been able to raise a defense against her landlord. She has spoken to the press, including the Washington Post and the Baltimore Brew, and at a legislative hearing about the importance of having counsel in eviction cases to assert and defend tenants’ rights. By speaking out publicly, she helped pass the eviction right to counsel bill in Baltimore City.
