The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals let stand a $195,000 fine against an anti-abortion activist and his lawyers last week, Courthouse News reported.
Anti-abortion activist David Daleiden — who recorded undercover videos exposing alleged fetal tissue trafficking by Planned Parenthood — appealed the fine, but the three-judge Ninth Circuit panel dismissed it, saying it doesn’t have jurisdiction to review the findings until the case’s final judgment is reached, the outlet said.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick III in 2016 granted the National Abortion Federation’s request to block the release of videos, citing the safety and privacy of abortion providers, Courthouse News said. But in 2017 Daleiden’s criminal defense lawyers Steve Cooley and Brentford Ferreira posted links to the videos and abortion providers’ names on their website — all of which were presented as evidence to support Daleiden defense, the outlet said.
But Orrick ruled the latter actions violated his injunction against further disclosure and ordered Daleiden and his lawyers to pay $195,000 to the National Abortion Federation to cover legal fees and costs for added security due to the videos’ release, Courthouse News said. – READ MORE