PP Case in Court Today

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Liberty Counsel is asking a California federal court to issue summary judgment and forgo the trial regarding the claims against Sandra Merritt in Planned Parenthood’s multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit against her. A summary judgment hearing is being held today at 2:00 pm PT in San Francisco. Horatio Mihet, Chief Litigation Counsel at Liberty Counsel will present argument for Merritt.

Planned Parenthood filed a retaliatory, 15-count civil suit against Merritt, seeking $16 million as punishment for her undercover investigation, which revealed and exposed the largest abortion mill’s unethical and potentially illegal profiting from human baby body parts. In this lawsuit, Planned Parenthood is using the “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations” (RICO) law as a weapon to stop the undercover videos produced by the Center for Medical Progress that exposed Planned Parenthood’s gruesome trade in baby body parts. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled several years ago that RICO cannot be used against pro-life picketers to silence free speech. Yet, that is the motive of Planned Parenthood in this case. Liberty Counsel represents Merritt and has demonstrated that Planned Parenthood has no evidence to support its retaliatory lawsuit. There are no damages and no legal basis for the suit, which is only designed to silence Merritt’s First Amendment rights. Liberty Counsel’s Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “This case against Sandra Merritt should be dismissed. Planned Parenthood is abusing the law in a desperate attempt to silence Sandra Merritt and protect the hideous business of selling baby body parts. The Supreme Court has ruled that RICO cannot be used to silence free speech and that is precisely what Planned Parenthood is seeking to accomplish,” said Staver.