A 19-year-old who claimed a vaccine injury and was slugged with an eye-watering legal bill when her court challenge failed has hit back.
A group of Australians against forced vaccination who tried to sue state and federal governments citing fears over “a new world order” have been slugged with $214,023 in legal costs after the case was thrown out of court.
Nine applicants took the fight to the Federal Court of Australia in October last year claiming that lockdowns and vaccine mandates were “being implemented or undertaken in the context of a new world order” and “constituted a breach of the Nuremberg Code”.
The “new world order” references a conspiracy theory popularised by far-right conspiracists QAnon which asserts that a secret totalitarian world government is emerging.
In their statement of claim, the group demanded then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison, “together with each of the Premiers and Chief Ministers of the States and Territories of Australia”, meet at the entrance to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Canberra and deliver an apology.
Cienna Knowles, a 19-year-old equestrian competitor from the NSW Central Coast, was named as one of the applicants.
The teen, who was hospitalised with blood clots in her chest as a result of what she claimed was a vaccine injury, sent a message to followers on Instagram on Wednesday calling the story “fake news”.
“I don’t owe anyone anything, not even an explanation,” she wrote.
“Especially anyone money!”
She reiterated that she is “far from an (anti-vaxxer).
“I’m fully immunised … I’m not even against it, if you want 10 by all means get it, don’t force me to. Where there’s risk there should be choice. It’s the greatest peer pressure movement we’ve ever seen. We all still end up with the bug anyways.”
Cienna Knowles suffered blood clots after the Pfizer vaccine.
The 19-year-old posted about her condition from hospital.
Court documents show the group behind the legal claim wanted an apology that included language to the effect that Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on behalf of himself and the Premiers and Chief Ministers, acknowledged responsibility for putting Australia in danger of falling into a state of lawlessness and totalitarian rule.
Justice Debra Mortimer struck out the case against the Commonwealth, Victorian, NSW, Queensland, NT, WA and Tasmanian governments in July and an order on Monday awarded costs to each government.
“The allegations do not justify a trial,” she said.
The Commonwealth and Victorian governments receive $50,000 in costs. NSW receives $39,023, while WA, Queensland and the NT governments receive $20,000 each and Tasmania receives $15,000.
Ms Knowles said last year that she was “non-consensually double-vaccinated, resulting in her hospitalisation as a consequence of adverse effects, and the loss of her employment and other opportunities”.
News.com.au previously reported that Ms Knowles blamed the potentially “life-changing” injuries on the Pfizer vaccine.
The teen shared her experience in a series of viral social media posts last year, writing that she “never wanted” the Covid-19 vaccine as she was scared of side effects, but ultimately got it to keep her job.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVZ5528FSD-/embed/captioned/
“Crazy how quickly I went from a super healthy 19-year-old kid who’s never had any form of health issues ever – working a full-time job, training and riding horses every day – to having it all taken away from me after my second Pfizer vaccination,” Ms Knowles wrote on Facebook.
“My lungs are full of blood clots and heart’s under stress. My new normal [is] now having a pulmonologist doctor, cardiologist doctor, blood tests, full-body scans, ultrasounds on my heart and lungs. Over a vaccination I got to do the right thing and I never wanted to get because I was genuinely scared of running the risk.
“I wish I had never gotten it and I could have my healthy body back.”
Cienna Knowles said the Pfizer vaccination caused her major health issues. Picture: Instagram/Cienna Knowles
She is now facing a hefty legal bill. Picture: Instagram/Cienna Knowles
NSW Health said it does not discuss individual cases but urged people to use “trusted and credible sources of information”.
“We continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated,” a spokesperson said.
“The Covid-19 vaccines available in Australia are safe and very effective at reducing the risk of serious illness and death. Please access Covid-19 health advice and information from NSW Health and the Australian government.”
Also named on the list of applicants in the failed bid to sue every Australian government except South Australia was John Harding, a Melbourne business owner who said he was “unable to work in the construction industry unless he submits himself to vaccination” and that “[h]is liberties to move about the State have been curtailed”.
Cienna Knowles and the other applicants will have to pay more than $214,000 in legal costs.
Murat Temel was also named. The small business owner said he was not able to move about the state of NSW as a free person.
Antoine Sandroussi, another applicant, was described by lawyers as a truck driver from Queensland who “submitted himself to vaccination in circumstances that amounted to coercion, and without the giving of prior medical consent”.
Serafine Nichols was also named. The WA resident was described as an employee of the Western Australian government who said she was impacted by measures “in various ways”, including by the termination of her employment.
The final two applicants were Mikailah Lehmann, a Tasmanian resident working as a health professional who was unable to carry on her business, and Alison Zerk, a former Northern Territory resident who “fled the NT to escape the operation of the laws in that state and was rendered homeless”.