For the past five years, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has been representing a former board member of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) in a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood.
This case was filed in 2016 by Planned Parenthood after CMP exposed Planned Parenthood’s horrendous abortion practices through CMP’s undercover investigation known as the Human Capital Project. The CMP videos that were made public shocked the country and led to congressional investigations and congressional referrals for criminal prosecutions over the sale of aborted babies’ body parts.
The case went to trial during the fall of 2019. After a nearly two-month trial, a San Francisco jury ruled against David Daleiden, CMP, its former board members – including our client – and the investigators.
Evidence at trial included an abortion doctor admitting that they use specific techniques during abortion procedures to keep certain baby organs intact, and another stating that she “wanted a Lamborghini” as compensation for the sale of those organs.
The trial court, however, repeatedly instructed the jury to ignore any evidence of Planned Parenthood’s illegal and unethical acts. The trial court instead instructed the jury to focus only on Defendants’ investigative techniques and methods.
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The jury ultimately found the Defendants liable to Planned Parenthood and returned a verdict of more than $2 million in damages against the Defendants. The ACLJ appealed that verdict on behalf of our client, and we are proceeding in the appellate court to overturn that injustice.
That, however, is not the only appeal in this case. This past month, the trial court entered an order requiring the Defendants to pay Planned Parenthood’s attorneys’ fees and costs in excess of $13 million. We, along with our co-Defendants, just jointly appealed that ruling.
This five-year-old lawsuit is far from over. This case has now moved from the trial court to the appellate court where new judges will consider our arguments. We will continue to pursue justice on behalf of our client, including filing with the United States Supreme Court if need be. We ask for your continued support as we move forward in this important case.
LifeNews Note: Edward White writes for the ACLJ.
