California Abortion Biz May Close Over Lawsuit From Ex-CEO

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Dec 2, 2010   |   1:44PM   |   San Francisco, CA

A San Francisco area chain of abortion centers may close up shop thanks to financial problems and a lawsuit filed by the woman who was its chief executive officer.

Planned Parenthood Golden Gate was dropped as an affiliate of the national abortion business thanks to what is allegedly massive financial mismanagement. Responding to the decision, the California abortion business changed its name to Golden Gate Community Health and fired CEO Dian Harrison.

Now, according to the Bay Area Citizen newspaper, Harrison has filed a lawsuit for more than $180,000 in severance — which comes as the abortion business is struggling to stay open.

“Unless we are able to raise $1,500,000 by the end of the year, we are in danger of having to close our doors forever,” the newspaper reported Linda Davis Jones, the chair of GGCH’s board, telling supporters in a mid-November letter.

The lawsuit alleges GGCH owes Harrison nine months severance pay and payment of her insurance premiums until she is 65 as per the contract she had with the abortion business. The lawsuit reportedly indicates Harrison has received $22,869 of the $205,500 she is due.

Pamela Sayad, Harrison’s attorney, would not tell the Bay Area Citizen of the reasons Harrison was dismissed but affirmed her contract entitled her to the financial compensation.

“It’s a clear breach of contract. She is entitled to the severance and they’re refusing to pay her for no real good reason,” said Sayad. “It’s just a terrible miscarriage of justice.”

Therese Wilson, the president and CEO, of GGCH told the newspaper she couldn’t comment on the lawsuit because “we have not been served yet and therefore our attorney has not had the opportunity to review the complaint and discuss the matter with the Board.”

The newspaper indicates tax filings show PPGG lost $2.8 million during the 2008-2009 tax year under Harrison’s direction and has not made a profit since 2006.

Jill Stanek, a pro-life blogger and nurse, has been closely following the problems and the new battle between the other Planned Parenthood affiliates in the area, which are already opening new centers to replace those GGCH operates, and GGCH.

“PPGG operated 7 clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It decided to keep 6 of those doors open, changing its name to Golden Gate Community Health,” she notes. “Meanwhile PPFA divided up the Bay Area between 2 other affiliates to develop. PP is as cutthroat in business as it is with babies. So the Bay Area abortion wars have officially begun.”

Stanek is concerned that the race to open and operate more abortion centers and the need to bring in a profit will ratchet up the abortion counts.

“So we can expect a higher body count than usual of aborted baby casualties until the losing mills shutter their doors. As if San Francisco didn’t have enough evil going on,” she said.

She also said the timing of the lawsuit from Harrison is ironic.

“Harrison filed her lawsuit on November 22, three days after current GGCC CEO Therese Wilson and chairwoman of the board Linda Davis Jones sent an urgent fundraising appeal to supporters,” she said.

The problems are so pervasive at GGCH that it faces an audit from the criminal division of the Internal Revenue Service. The New York Times released a new report in September detailing how an unnamed former employee interviewed with the Oakland field office of the IRS.