[1] Hardwick's family had lived in the Clear Lake drainage basin for many generations and she remembered stories told by her mother and aunt about her grandparents involvement in the Bloody Island Massacre of 1850.
[3] Hardwick and other tribal members were led to believe that termination was mandatory and they were unprepared for state and county taxation requirements of privately held lands.
[4] When Hardwick’s son, Joe, was denied educational benefits, she decided to take action for the failure of the government to live up to its promises to the tribe.
[5] In 1979, on the basis that termination was illegal since the improvements had not been done, Hardwick filed suit with the assistance of California Indian Legal Services, who decided to make the case a class action.
Three sons: Robert Hopper, who predeceased Hardwick;[6] Joseph A. Myers attorney and founder of the National Indian Justice Center;[16] and Larry Myers (youngest son) of Sacramento who served as Executive Secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission from 1987–2011;[17] and one daughter, Joyce A. Britton, of Willits, California.