Medford Coalition Speaks Out In Favor Of Funding Legal Defense Against Divestment Lawsuit

MEDFORD, MA — A group of residents gathered at the Massachusetts State House in Boston Tuesday morning to make their stance clear on one of Medford’s most significant ongoing situations.

The Medford Coalition for Values-Aligned Investment announced their intention to legally intervene in a lawsuit against the city filed in opposition to a divestment ordinance.

Last August, the Council passed the ordinance that divests city funds from any companies it believes supplies weapons, derive revenue from prisons or fossil fuels, or contribute to human rights violations such as genocide. While it is not specifically stated in the motion, the Values-Aligned Local Investments Ordinance was primarily inspired by the events in Gaza between Israel and Palestine. Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn vetoed the ordinance in October, arguing that the financial and legal ramifications had not been properly considered by the Council before it adopted the legislation. The veto was ultimately overridden.

The Gevura Fund and the National Jewish Advocacy Center and the law firm of Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey, P.C. are the groups who have filed the lawsuit against Medford for the ordinance. Among many arguments, the complaint claims that the ordinance conflicts with Massachusetts investment laws, which require city officials to prioritize liquidity and yield when managing public funds. The complaint argues that the council is replacing objective financial protocols with subjective ideological reasoning, with Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey, P.C. Managing Partner Douglas Brooks calling the act “antisemitic discrimination.”

Last week, the plaintiffs filed a preliminary injunction asking the court to make the ordinance unenforceable until the lawsuit is resolved. Lungo-Koehn has until Sunday, May 3 to decide whether to allocate $75,000 to fund a legal defense.

“Like many Americans, I am worried about the ongoing assault on our Democracy,” Medford resident intervening in the lawsuit to defend Medford Chadi Salamoun said Tuesday. “It’s important that the City of Medford defend the ordinance so it doesn’t give outside interest groups a veto in our local democratic process. I’m proud to be part of a process that defends our democracy.”

The Coalition is led by Dr. Lara Jirmanus, who is the founder of the Health and Law Immigrant Solidarity Network and member of Massachusetts Coalition for Responsible Investment. She headlined eight people who spoke on the State House’s front steps.

"When out-of-state interest groups use lawsuits to override what a city voted for, that's an attack on local democracy,” State Representative and Coalition member Erika Uyterhoeven said. “We must stand up for our democracy from every council chamber and town meeting in the Commonwealth. We the taxpayers have the right to decide how our tax dollars are spent. Especially now as Trump has spent billions on an illegal war in Iran that fewer than 1 in 3 Americans support, it’s becoming clearer than ever that we need to take action at all levels to take back our democracy.”

Other speakers included Law Professor Jonathan Feingold, Massachusetts Peace Action Director Brian Garvey, and Energy and Environment Committee member Josh Eckart-Lee.

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