Court Finalizes $380,000 Judgment Against Jackie Schlegel in Long-Running Texas Vaccine Advocacy Dispute

A four-and-a-half-year legal battle between rival Texas medical-freedom organizations ended at the trial-court level Monday when the 17th District Court in Tarrant County signed a final judgment ordering former Texans for Vaccine Choice executive director Jackie Schlegel to pay more than $380,000 in damages and attorney’s fees to her former employer.

The judgment also imposes a permanent injunction barring Schlegel and the Texans for Vaccine Choice Political Action Committee (which she still controls) from further trademark violations, subject to contempt of court.

Hours after the ruling was signed, Schlegel’s current organization, Texans for Medical Freedom, issued a press release headlined “Court Clears Jackie Schlegel In Ongoing Legal Dispute.” The release described the outcome as a “huge victory” for Schlegel and the “vaccine freedom movement,” claiming the court overturned an attempt to force her to pay nearly $200,000 in additional attorney’s fees, ruled that Texans for Vaccine Freedom did not infringe trademarks, “vindicated” her on breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, and rejected wrongful-interference allegations.

What the Jury Actually Found (January 2026 Trial)

A Tarrant County jury had already returned its verdict in early January after a week-long trial. Key findings included:

• Schlegel breached her fiduciary duty to Texans for Vaccine Choice when, on the eve of a scheduled board meeting in November 2021, she attempted to transfer approximately $116,000 (roughly 80% of the organization’s cash) from the 501(c)(4) advocacy group’s account to the separate 501(c)(3) she controlled. The transfer was reversed the next day; because the money was recovered, the jury awarded $0 in damages on that claim.

• Schlegel and the PAC she controls infringed Texans for Vaccine Choice’s trademark, resulting in $5,403.66 in damages.

• Schlegel breached her employment agreement and non-disclosure agreement.

• All of Schlegel’s counterclaims (including defamation) were rejected.

The jury awarded Texans for Vaccine Choice more than $575,000 in attorney’s fees for the core litigation, plus $186,756 for defending against Schlegel’s Texas Citizens Participation Act (anti-SLAPP) motion, which delayed the case for roughly two years. Conditional appellate fees of up to $200,000 were also awarded if Schlegel appeals and loses.

The final judgment signed February 24 affirmed the $380,000+ award (apparently excluding the extra $186k TCPA-related fees that the trial judge declined to assess) while keeping the permanent injunction in place and preserving the conditional appeal fees.

Opposing Side’s Response

Texans for Vaccine Choice responded swiftly on X (formerly Twitter), calling the press release “misinformation” and stating the litigation is now over at the trial level:

“The court signed a final judgment in favor of Texans for Vaccine Choice… The final judgment affirmed a Tarrant County jury’s award of over $380,000 in damages and attorney’s fees to TFVC from Schlegel based on Schlegel’s breach of her employment agreement and insistence on prolonging the litigation.”

The organization noted that Schlegel’s attempt to move nearly the entire bank balance occurred the night before a board meeting at which the other two directors planned to discuss her future and had even considered offering her a year of paid leave.

Background of the Split

The dispute traces back to late 2021, when tensions arose inside Texans for Vaccine Choice over the group’s direction. Schlegel, who had been executive director, board member, and PAC treasurer, was removed after the attempted transfer. She went on to lead Texans for Vaccine Freedom (later rebranded or succeeded by Texans for Medical Freedom), while the original group continued under new leadership.

Both organizations describe themselves as defenders of medical liberty, parental rights, and opposition to vaccine mandates. The internal feud has divided donors and activists in Texas conservative and medical-freedom circles for more than four years.

Political Context

Schlegel, a mother of three and longtime advocate, announced in mid-February 2026 that she is running as a Republican for Texas House District 94 in the March 2026 primary.

Whether she will appeal Monday’s final judgment remains unclear. Any appeal would risk triggering the additional $200,000 in conditional attorney’s fees awarded to Texans for Vaccine Choice.

Texans for Medical Freedom’s press release concluded by reaffirming its focus on “protecting individual liberty, defending medical privacy, and standing up for Texas families.” Texans for Vaccine Choice responded that it remains “steadfast in our mission to fight for Texans’ medical freedom” and will continue “faithfully steward[ing] the resources entrusted to us by our donors.”

The case (Cause No. 017-330567-21) is now final at the district-court level unless Schlegel files a notice of appeal. Court records are public in Tarrant County.