Sep 26, 2007 / 09:02 am
Two pro-life supporters in Aurora filed a lawsuit yesterday, alleging that Planned Parenthood Chicago Area President and CEO Steve Trombley has libeled them on several occasions in the past month.
Attorney Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society represents both Joe and Eric Scheidler and their pro-life groups in this complaint, reported The Aurora Beacon.
The suit referenced a letter Trombley wrote to all Aurora aldermen on Sept. 4, and several full-page newspaper ads Planned Parenthood took out to gain support for its new abortion facility in town.
The facility has received serious opposition in recent weeks since citizens discovered that the building, which had been deceptively presented as an office complex, was actually an abortion clinic.
Planned Parenthood used the subsidiary name Gemini Office Development to gain approval for its new building and to "protect the privacy and safety of vendors working on our project and our future clients," Trombley explained in the ads.
Trombley also laid out a case against Joe Scheidler, who was sued in the 1980s for allegedly orchestrating acts of violence against facilities where abortions were performed, and against doctors and clients at those facilities. That case, NOW vs. Scheidler, was in court for more than 20 years, and was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court three times.
Brejcha said that Trombley has accused his clients of orchestrating violent acts that were never proven in court. He said to accuse the Aurora protesters of violent intentions is ridiculous. Brejcha is reportedly seeking damages of at least $7.5 million.
This new suit is not the only one on this issue working its way through the court system.
Eric Scheidler and the two organizations he represents, the Pro-Life Action League and Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood, sued the city of Aurora last month, alleging that the city violated the First Amendment rights of pro-life protesters during their first weeks outside the new clinic. A status hearing is set for Oct. 23.
Another federal judge has denied Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area's request for an emergency injunction to allow the facility to open, reported the Beacon. The city is refusing to issue a final occupancy permit for the abortion clinic until an investigation into Planned Parenthood's approval process is complete.
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