SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In what continues to be a tumultuous legal journey, the 3-judge panel of US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has reconsidered portions of the District Court findings in Wit v United Behavioral Health. This landmark case has captured the attention of advocates and everyday Americans alike amid national mental health and substance use challenges. 

Notably, the panel vacated its January 2023 ruling, potentially opening the door for some plaintiff claims to be reprocessed. The panel remanded a key aspect of the case back to the District Court to decide, a positive movement forward from January’s ruling. 

“Today I am heartened on behalf of the millions of Americans who need mental health and addiction care,” said former US Representative Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI). “This case continues to demonstrate the need to enforce existing laws so people receive the timely care they need. As the author of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, I support the Biden Administration’s proposed rules to the Act to help achieve this.”

Today’s ruling comes after 15 states plus Washington, DC, the U.S. Department of Labor, and advocates including The Kennedy Forum submitted amici briefs supporting a rehearing of the case by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in March of this year. The Kennedy Forum has led the advocacy community in supporting the plaintiffs in this case since 2019. Read more about its work here:  https://www.thekennedyforum.org/wit/

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