APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) – The landmark trial in the alleged wrongful death lawsuit of a 19-year-old with Down syndrome is now underway in Outagamie County Court.

Grace Schara died at Ascension Health’s St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton in 2021. She was brought in after contracting COVID-19.

The healthcare provider has denied any wrongdoing and previously requested that the lawsuit be dismissed.

This is the first wrongful death jury trial in the country for a death listed as COVID-19 on the death certificate.

This is a story we’ve been following for years, and right now you’re seeing video from a rally in support of 19-year-old Grace Schara, which took place in April of 2022, outside Ascension Northeast Wisconsin’s St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton.

Schara, whose family members say was not vaccinated, was brought to the hospital when her family says her symptoms of COVID-19 intensified. Days later, she passed away.

However, her parents say her death wasn’t caused by COVID-19.

Rather, they allege it was the medication she was given and a do-not-resuscitate order, which they claim no one from the family ever signed.

The trial, expected to last up to three weeks, will examine allegations of negligence, lack of informed consent, and medical battery, according to Grace’s father, Scott.

Attorneys for Ascension Health filed a response to those allegations, saying the hospital denies “each and every” one of the family’s claims and says “Grace Schara’s medical records speak for themselves.”

The documents also say Schara’s condition may have been the result of “a naturally progressing disease, a pre-existing condition, or a superseding or intervening cause” that was beyond the hospital staff’s control.

Judge Mark McGinnis will preside over the trial.

Cameras are not being allowed inside the courtroom, but members of the media will be able to watch the proceedings on a Zoom link, from a nearby overflow room, as a large crowd is expected.