Surviving Indian Creek School » Federal Court Victory: Hemphills Defeat Liff Walsh & Simmons in High-Stakes Jurisdiction Battle

In a major legal victory with serious implications for Indian Creek School (ICS) and its legal team, Eric and Evan Hemphill have successfully defeated Liff Walsh & Simmons in federal court—a blow to ICS’s attempt to escape accountability through procedural maneuvering.

According to court records, David Dorey, an attorney for ICS and partner at Liff Walsh & Simmons, attempted to remove the Hemphills’ lawsuit to federal court, likely believing that the federal venue—often favorable to corporate defendants—would provide strategic advantages.

But in a stunning turn of events, the Hemphills filed a motion to remand the case back to state court, and the federal judge agreed.

This decision is more than procedural—it’s a legal and symbolic defeat for ICS and its increasingly embattled defense strategy.

The Jurisdiction Fight: Why It Matters

The removal of cases to federal court is a tactic frequently employed by corporate defendants seeking more favorable procedural rules. In this instance, David Dorey’s legal team sought to shift the venue in hopes of avoiding more stringent state-level scrutiny.

However, the Hemphills—representing themselves pro se—swiftly countered with a motion to remand the case back to state court, where parallel litigation, including SAGE vs. ICS, is also pending.

The federal court granted their motion—affirming that state court is the proper venue and validating the Hemphills' litigation strategy.

This is a significant setback for ICS’s legal team, which had hoped to stall and sidestep broader accountability through jurisdictional maneuvering.

A Losing Battle for Liff Walsh & Simmons

This ruling exposes a larger truth:

David Dorey and the Liff Walsh team are not just defending ICS—they are defending a collapsing narrative.

Rather than mitigate risk, their legal maneuvers appear to be escalating exposure:

By dragging out litigation, attempting procedural obstacles, and defending actions that the EEOC has already labeled retaliatory, ICS’s attorneys are amplifying their client’s legal liability.
Every filing, every delay, and every loss adds to ICS’s reputation crisis, increasing the likelihood of more lawsuits and greater financial consequences.
**The school is facing possible nine-figure liability, an outcome exacerbated by its refusal to course-correct.

Is this legal defense—or a desperate attempt to cover up misconduct?

The Right to Sue Letter: The Next Front

With an EEOC-issued Right to Sue letter in hand, the Hemphills are expected to file a federal employment lawsuit—bringing ICS’s conduct into the scope of federal employment law, where damages, discovery, and penalties could escalate dramatically.

What began as a wrongful termination and student expulsion case has evolved into a multi-front legal battle involving:

SAGE Dining vs. ICS (civil contract litigation)
Hemphill vs. ICS (employment retaliation, First Amendment violations, and breach of contract)
Federal EEOC investigations
Ongoing state-level legal proceedings

ICS’s legal exposure is growing, and Dorey’s strategies aren’t containing it—they’re inflaming it.

How Far Will ICS Go to Bury the Truth?

The real question isn’t whether ICS is in legal trouble—it’s how far its leadership and attorneys are willing to go to suppress evidence.

How far will David Dorey and Liff Walsh & Simmons go to obstruct justice and silence dissent?
How long will Anne Chambers—long considered a pillar of integrity—allow ICS’s reputation to be dismantled under her watch?

The public eye is sharpening, and these decisions will shape the legacy of ICS for years to come.

Final Thought: The Truth Keeps Winning

Every legal victory, every ruling, and every revelation reinforces the same conclusion:

The Hemphills were right. ICS retaliated. The cover-up is unraveling.

The attempt to remove the case to federal court was a last-ditch maneuver—and it failed. Now back in state court, and with the Right to Sue letter in hand, the Hemphills are poised to escalate their pursuit of justice with the truth, the law, and the courts on their side.

ICS, Liff Walsh, and those still clinging to power must recognize that:

You can delay accountability, but you can’t escape it.

— Surviving Indian Creek Blog

Truth. Exposure. Justice.