Jury Awards Planned Parenthood $2.3M In Case Over Secretly Recorded Videos About Fetal Tissue
After a six-week civil trial, the San Francisco jury found anti-abortion rights advocate David Daleiden trespassed on private property and committed other crimes in recording the 2015 videos that stirred up controversy and congressional investigations for Planned Parenthood.
The Associated Press:
Planned Parenthood Awarded $2.3 Million For Secret Videos
A federal jury found Friday that an anti-abortion activist illegally secretly recorded workers at Planned Parenthood clinics and is liable for violating federal and state laws. The jury ordered him, the Center for Medical Progress and other parties to pay nearly $2.3 million in damages. The jury awarded $1 million in damages, but offenses under the federal Racketeer and Corrupt Organizations Act are considered acts of organized crime and penalties awarded for them are automatically tripled. (Williams, 11/15)
Newsweek:
Planned Parenthood Wins Lawsuit Against Anti-Abortion Activists Alleging Fraud And Illegal Recording
Planned Parenthood says that clandestinely recorded video footage was manipulated and edited to make it appear as though they were attempting to profit off of fetal tissue donations, something they deny has ever taken place. The videos were taken between 2013 and 2015, and apparently feature Daleiden and co-defendant Sandra Merritt pretending to be representatives of a fake company called "BioMax." (Slisco, 11/15)
The New York Times:
Planned Parenthood Awarded $2 Million In Lawsuit Over Secret Videos
The ruling was an important victory for Planned Parenthood, which had been buffeted by the political fallout from the videos, whose release in the summer of 2015 incited widespread outrage. The videos gave new strength to the conservative drive to defund Planned Parenthood. Missouri called a special legislative session to do so after their release. The organization was forced to apologize for the casual tone that one of its officials had used in a video to discuss a possible transfer of fetal tissue to what she believed was a legitimate medical company. Planned Parenthood said the fees being discussed were to cover costs and were legal. Abortion opponents claimed that the videos revealed that Planned Parenthood was engaged in the illegal sale of body parts. (Tavernise, 11/15)
Fox News:
Jury Awards Planned Parenthood Nearly $1M Over Secret Videos By Pro-Life Group
During the six-week trial, U.S. District Judge William Orrick III ruled the jury could not consider any information Daleiden had discovered as a result of his video project. At least three congressional committees and law enforcement officials in 13 states launched investigations into Planned Parenthood after Daleiden’s group released the footage in 2015. None of the probes confirmed any wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood. (Phillips, 11/16)
Politico Pro:
Jury Awards Planned Parenthood Over $2M In Suit Against Anti-Abortion Activists
The anti-abortion defendants claimed they were legally protected by engaging in citizen journalism to expose Planned Parenthood’s alleged wrongdoing. Lawyers for Planned Parenthood, which has been cleared of wrongdoing in multiple investigations, during the trial depicted the organization as a victim of smear campaign by anti-abortion activists bent on destroying it. (Colliver, 11/15)
The Hill:
Planned Parenthood Awarded $2M In Lawsuit Against Hidden Camera Activists
“David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress intentionally waged a multi-year illegal effort to manufacture a malicious campaign against Planned Parenthood,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, the acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood. “The jury recognized today that those behind the campaign broke the law in order to advance their goals of banning safe, legal abortion in this country, and to prevent Planned Parenthood from serving the patients who depend on us.” (Hellmann, 11/15)
In other news on abortion —
Kaiser Health News:
Despite Supreme Court Win, Texas Abortion Clinics Still Shuttered
Over the past few years, abortion providers in Texas have struggled to reopen clinics that had closed because of restrictive state laws. There were more than 40 clinics providing abortion in Texas on July 12, 2013 — the day lawmakers approved tough new restrictions and rules for clinics. Even though abortion providers fought those restrictions all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and managed to get the restrictions overturned in 2016, most of the affected clinics remain closed. (Lopez, 11/18)
Seattle Times:
Seattle-Based Planned Parenthood Affiliate Ventures Into Indiana And Kentucky, Giving A Blue-State Boost To Red-State Clinics
In mid-September, Chris Charbonneau flew to Fort Wayne, Indiana — triumphant. The CEO of the Seattle-based Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands had just pulled off a stealth operation. Last year, Fort Wayne’s only Planned Parenthood clinic closed. The landlord didn’t renew the lease. A nurse practitioner left after a group called Created Equal distributed flyers with her name and photo. It was an attempt to pressure her to “stop doing evil,” said the organization’s vice president, Seth Drayer. (Shapiro, 11/17)
