Aurora, IL (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life advocates in Aurora, Illinois have filed suit against city officials for voting to dismiss motions they filed to reverse permit decisions allowing the building of a new Planned Parenthood abortion business. The Aurora Zoning Appeals Board voted unanimously to dismiss the motions last month.

City officials disagreed with their contention that the approval of the building permit for Planned Parenthood's abortion center violated zoning rules.

The zoning board dismissed the case saying the appeal didn't fall within its jurisdiction. The board also claimed the appeal wasn't filed in time.

A group of citizens teamed up with a local pro-life group for a lawsuit filed for them by the Thomas More Society, a pro-life law firm.

Planned Parenthood, the City of Aurora, Illinois and the Aurora Zoning Board are named in the suit and accused of depriving the families of their right as citizens to voice their concerns about the impact of the abortion business.

The suit contends Planned Parenthood used a fictitious name, the Gemini Office Development corporation, to hide its identity during the zoning approval process.

"By concealing the true planned use of the property, Planned Parenthood evaded the process that would have provided local residents and city officials with the opportunity to question how their neighborhood and community would be changed," TMC chief counsel Tom Brejcha told LifeNews.com.

Brejcha blamed the city for not rectifying the situation and accused Planned Parenthood of violating as many as 20 zoning ordinances during the process.

“Democracy can’t work for people if they are denied an opportunity to impact even their own neighborhoods," he added. “It simply isn’t fair to allow any entity, including Planned Parenthood, to operate outside the law.”

The lawsuit asks that the court revoke Planned Parenthood’s occupancy permit and that the land be returned to its original condition.

Thomas More filed the suit in the Circuit Court of the 18th Judicial Circuit of DuPage County located in Wheaton, Illinois.