Watanabe

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 Foothill Church, et al., Case No. 2:15-cv-02165 KJM EFB Plaintiffs, v. Mary Watanabe, in her official capacity, ORDER as Director of California Department of Managed Healthcare, Defendant. ____________________________________/ The court has summarized the background of this litigation in its previous order granting summary judgment for the plaintiff churches on their Free Exercise Clause claim and granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs’ Equal Protection Clause claim. See Prev. Order (Aug 24, 2022) at 1–15, ECF No. 129. Only a brief summary is necessary here. In July 2018, counsel for plaintiffs Foothill Church, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills and Shepherd of the Hills Church (the Churches) sent a letter to California’s Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) requesting an exemption from the DMHC’s abortion care coverage requirement. Riess Decl., Ex. Y (Letter…