The Defendants
Among the defendants in this extraordinary civil lawsuit are Bill Gates, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, alongside the State of the Netherlands and thirteen other prominent figures from politics, business, media and science. These are not simply individuals named or criticised in the plaintiffs’ case: they are defendants in the proceedings, represented by lawyers, with defendants residing within Dutch municipalities also summoned in person. Following the rejection of Bill Gates’ challenge to the jurisdiction of the Dutch court, the case now advances to the substantive merits hearing in Leeuwarden on 22 October 2026.
What makes these proceedings so extraordinary is the scale of what the court is being asked to confront. The plaintiffs allege intentional and unlawful deception concerning the pandemic and the necessity, safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 injections, and seek to hold the defendants personally liable in civil law for the resulting harm.
Expert evidence from Sasha Latypova, Dr Mike Yeadon, Catherine Austin Fitts and Dr Joseph Sansone has been submitted in support of the plaintiffs’ case. On 22 October, arguments exist outside the boundaries of mainstream institutional debate are now placed where they cannot simply be dismissed with a headline or a press statement: before a court, in substantive proceedings, with the defendants called upon to answer them.
The Legal Proceedings: The Claimants, Defendants & Judiciary District Court of the Northern Netherlands, Leeuwarden
Hearing: 22 October 2026
Case reference: C/17/190788
Case number: 23/172
Judges Names: Mr T.P. Hoekstra, Mr P. van Eijk and Mr C.M. Telman.
Claimants: Seven claimants suffering harm from Covid-19 vaccinations
Solicitor: Mr P.W.H. Stassen
(government officials)
1. Mr EVERHARDUS ITE HOFSTRA
2. Mr JAAP TAMINO VAN DISSEL
3. Ms MARIA PETRONELLA GERARDA KOOPMANS
4. Mr MARK RUTTE
5. Ms SIGRID AGNES MARIA KAAG
6. Mr HUGO MATTHEÜS DE JONGE
7. Mr ERNST JOHAN KUIPERS
8. Mr DIEDERIK ANTONIUS MARIA PAULUS JOHANNES GOMMERS
9. Mr WOPKE BASTIAAN HOEKSTRA
10. Ms CORNELIA VAN NIEUWENHUIZEN
Solicitors: Mr R.W. Veldhuis and Mr M.E.A. Möhring
(pharmaceutical industry)
11. Mr ALBERT BOURLA
Lawyer: D. C. Roessingh, LL.B.
(mass media)
12. Ms GISELLE JACQUELINE MARIE-THÉRÈSE VAN CANN
13. Mr PAUL JANSEN
Solicitor: Mr A. Bekema
(non-governmental organisation (NGO, WEF))
14. Mr FEIKE SIJBESMA
Lawyers: R.W. Veldhuis, LL.B., and M.E.A. Möhring, LL.B.
15. Mr WILLIAM HENRY BILL GATES III
Lawyer: W.H. Heemskerk, LL.B.
(quasi-governmental)
16. AGNES CATHARINA VAN DER VOORT-KANT
Lawyer: Mr A.H. Ekker
(public sector)
17. THE STATE OF THE NETHERLANDS, a legal entity under public law, having its seat in The Hague (“the State”) and with its registered office at Korte Voorhout 8, The Hague (2511 CB);
Lawyers: R.W. Veldhuis, LL.M., and M.E.A. Möhring, LL.M.
In Their Own Defence: The Evidence They Submitted
Here, we will translate and upload some of the ‘evidence’ submitted by the defendants themselves — including Bill Gates and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla — to substantiate their own defence. There is a lot to work through and these translations take time! Keep checking back — more is coming!
The Court Hearing Livestream with English subtitles and live dubbing can be watched here:
Watch Press Conference
A full recording of the Press Conference will soon appear here!
We faced unfathomable interference, sabotage and attacks throughout the organisation of the press conference, video production, social media lives and during the day on October 22. We told you this was the case they didn’t want you to see!
Please bear with us as we work on a polished edit of the press conference as we truly documented history… and it MUST be seen!
The Oct 22 Hearing Is Over. What Happens Next?
The court has indicated that a judgment may be delivered on 9 December, although that date is not guaranteed… as it could be delayed until February 2027 due to complexity of the case!
Remember, this is a civil case seeking damages, while placing the wider narrative itself under legal scrutiny. The claimants are pursuing the defendants as individuals, alleging unlawful conduct under Dutch tort law and seeking to establish personal liability, involving their private assets.
There are several possible outcomes.
The court could issue an interim judgment, order further evidentiary proceedings or deliver a judgment addressing whether the claimants have established the five legal requirements necessary for liability and damages.
If those requirements have not been established, the claims could be dismissed. But that would not necessarily mean the end of the case, because the claimants may have the right to appeal.
And importantly, an appeal in the Netherlands can involve a substantive reconsideration of the facts, evidence and legal arguments. It is not simply a challenge to whether the first judges made a mistake.
The 5 requirements that the plaintiffs and lawyer Peter Stassen must fulfill are:
Under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, a civil claim based on an unlawful act requires five legal elements to be established.
1. Unlawfulness – Was something legally wrong?
The defendant must have acted unlawfully, for example by violating someone’s rights, breaking a legal obligation or acting contrary to standards of reasonable conduct recognised by law.
2. Attribution – Can the defendant be held responsible?
The unlawful conduct must be legally attributable to the defendant. This can involve fault, but responsibility can also arise on other grounds recognised by law.
3. Damage – Was actual harm suffered?
The claimants must establish that they suffered legally recognised harm or loss. This may include financial loss, physical injury or qualifying non-material harm.
4. Causation – Did the defendant’s conduct cause that harm?
There must be a legally sufficient connection between the unlawful conduct and the damage suffered. In simple terms: did what the defendant did cause the harm being claimed?
5. Relativity – Was the rule intended to protect against this kind of harm?
The legal rule or duty that was breached must be intended to protect the claimant against the type of harm suffered. It is not enough simply to demonstrate that a rule was broken.
The essential point
All five requirements must be satisfied for a damages claim based on an unlawful act to succeed. Establishing that something was wrong is only the beginning; the court must also consider responsibility, harm, causation and the purpose of the legal protection involved.
So What happens if the claimants do not succeed?
If the claimants are unable to establish all five legal requirements, and the court consequently dismisses their claims, that does not necessarily mean the end of the proceedings.
Under Dutch civil law, the claimants can generally appeal the judgment to a higher court.
Importantly, an appeal in the Netherlands is not simply an argument that the original judges made the wrong decision as it is in the UK and US, for example.
The Court of Appeal can reconsider the substance of the case, including the facts, evidence and legal arguments. Depending on the procedural circumstances, parties may also introduce further evidence, develop their arguments and address matters that were said to be not fully established during the original proceedings.
There are rules and limitations governing this process, but an appeal offers a genuine opportunity for the case to be reconsidered and a new judgment delivered.
In simple terms: an unsuccessful first judgment does not mean the case is over. And an appeal is absolutely intended in this case, if necessary.
If the claimants are unsuccessful, they could also face an adverse costs order, which I understand may be around €13,000. The Dutch system uses a points-based approach to recoverable legal costs, rather than automatically awarding hundreds of thousands in legal fees to the defendants.
That makes the Netherlands an important place to pursue this litigation to its conclusion!
So, watch this space, keep checking the website for updates!
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping bring The Narrative on Trial to the world!