More charges against citizen journalists
More charges against citizen journalists
Issues@Hand
Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

Photo above, David Daleiden

September 2017 – Felony and misdemeanor charges were dismissed in Texas last year after David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress conducted a video series of undercover investigations exposing Planned Parenthood’s potentially illegal sale of aborted baby body parts.

New charges were filed by the California Attorney General’s office in April. On June 21, a California court dismissed 14 of 15 felony charges noting lack of specific evidence. In less than three weeks, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed new, more specific criminal charges with numbered video footage and the names of the individuals recorded. On those charges, Daleiden and Merritt were scheduled to be arraigned on July 17.

In a separate civil case filed by the National Abortion Federation on July 12, Daleiden and his attorneys, Steve Cooley and Brent Ferreira, were found in contempt of court and fined $137,000 for releasing a video taken at NAF trade shows. The publication of the footage came after the same judge placed a gag order on Daleiden to prevent the release of any further undercover videos incriminating Planned Parenthood.

lifenews.com, 6/21/17, 7/19/17; afa.net, 7/5/17; liveaction.org, 7/7/17; lifesitenews.com, 7/12/17