Operation Rescue President Troy Newman and his legal counsel, The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), are continuing to call for justice in the case involving the 2015 undercover video project that exposed Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted baby organs.
ACLJ just filed a reply brief in support of its petition for writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court. The newly filed brief responds to Planned Parenthood’s opposition to its previous petition.
Since 2016, the ACLJ has represented Newman who served as a board member of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP). The organization conducted a widely publicized undercover investigation that unmasked the abortion giant’s unbelievably gruesome, inhumane, and greedy nature.
The United States Senate and House conducted investigations and issued reports that contained extensive evidence of criminal and unethical acts. Comparable conclusions were reached by other government agencies.
Not only did the abortion conglomerate secure profit from the sale of fetal organs, but it altered its techniques used during abortions to increase profitability from the sale of such organs. Accordingly, Planned Parenthood affiliates were referred to law enforcement agencies for further investigation.
In a consternating turn of events, Planned Parenthood sued the undercover investigators. After years of litigation, a San Francisco jury awarded Planned Parenthood millions of dollars in damages. The jury claimed that Newman and the undercover investigators violated federal organized crime laws (RICO).
The RICO laws were passed, not to prevent undercover investigations from employing methods to expose illegal activity, but to combat organized crime. CMP’s undercover investigation into Planned Parenthood was an effort to do just that.
The trial court did not allow the jury to consider evidence of Planned Parenthood’s alleged illegal and unethical acts but demanded that the focus be placed only on the investigative techniques and methods employed by the defendants.
The validity of the videos was not challenged and Planned Parenthood did not assert a defamation claim. However, the jury ultimately found Newman and other the defendants liable and returned a verdict of more than $2 million in damages payable to Planned Parenthood. (The court subsequently ordered the defendants to pay more than $13 million in Planned Parenthood’s attorneys’ fees and costs.)
As ACLJ rightly stated, “The jury’s verdict and the various rulings issued by the trial court are contrary to the law and the evidence.”
“That is why the ACLJ continues to appeal these unjust verdicts on my behalf,” said Newman. “I cannot thank my attorneys enough for their perseverance in this long battle for justice. I am also incredibly grateful for Operation Rescue’s wonderful pro-life friends, their love for God, the unborn, and their ongoing prayers and support.”
