St Luke's Exposed

Posted: February 26th, 2026

Two weeks ago I received the decision from the Idaho Supreme Court on my appeal. After years of litigation, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled against me and my appeal, and affirmed the lower court’s original judgment. But it gets worse, they also awarded attorney’s fees to St. Luke’s, meaning they are going to try to force me to pay over $180,000 in additional fees to the Lawyers who attacked me.

Here are the two most important things for you to understand about this ruling:

1. The court never even considered all my 6 very strong arguments I made in the appeal. You see, the Court did not reject my appeal because they proved I was wrong about the facts. They rejected most of them on procedure.

In other words, they said that because I did not follow certain technical legal requirements, they would not even consider my arguments — even if those arguments involved violations of constitutional rights. So the substance of my defense was never evaluated. No judge or jury has ever weighed the evidence I have tried to present.

In other words the Idaho Supreme Court said, Mr. Rodriguez, you didn't follow the proper sequence or protocols that you are required to follow for us to hear your arguments, and in spite of the fact that you could not afford an attorney and had to represent yourself against an army of highly paid lawyers from one of the largest and most aggressive law firms in the pacific northwest, who are being subsidized by American taxpayers, so they have essentially a limitless budget to attack you, AND regardless of how legitimate your arguments are, regardless of whether your rights were violated, and regardless of whether or not you are innocent, we refuse to hear your appeal.

2. This process has exposed the systemic injustice built into our legal system—and Idaho’s judiciary specifically. This is so many people don’t feel safe there in Idaho. Because as has been demonstrated with this case and appeal—The final result is that enormous penalties can stand without the underlying claims ever being tested in a full and fair hearing.

Whether you agree with me or disagree with me, that should concern you. Because it means access to justice can depend more on mastering complex legal procedures than on whether the truth is on your side.

Throughout this process, I have filed formal complaints describing what I believe are serious problems inside the system. Those complaints are public, and people can read them and make up their own minds.

But as of today, the Idaho Supreme Court has spoken, and within the state system, there are very few options left. I can attempt to seek review from the United States Supreme Court, although everyone knows the odds of being accepted are extremely small.

There may also be other legal avenues to pursue regarding civil rights violations, but those would be separate actions and would not reopen this case. So that is where things stand tonight. I wanted you to hear it directly from me. I will keep you informed about what happens next.