Judge William H. Orrick (via cand.uscourts.gov)
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick refused to dismiss a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood related to undercover videos released by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP). CMP has claimed the videos show Planned Parenthood officials engaging in unethical and/or illegal behavior involving the sale of fetal body parts.
Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit alleges racketeering by CMP, along with other allegations. Orrick ruled on Friday that the lawsuit may proceed, but CMP attorney Katie Short argues that Orrick’s ruling actually exposes weaknesses in Planned Parenthood’s case. Short did not provide details on how the ruling damages Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit.
Judge Orrick is the same judge who, in February of this year, extended a gag order on the release of Center for Medical Progress videos involving the National Abortion Federation, claiming it was “in the public interest” to prevent their release, due to NAF’s (yet unverified) claims that they received threats. Orrick also stated that he believed the videos were “lacking in journalistic integrity” and “deceptively edited”– despite two independent forensic analyses finding the complete opposite.
Photo via Caroline Farrar Orrick’s Facebook page
In previous Live Action News reports it was also noted that Orrick, an Obama appointee, donated tens of thousands of dollars to pro-Obama committees and raised more than $200,000 for Obama’s campaign. Orrick’s wife, Caroline Farrar Orrick (pictured left), is a staunch abortion advocate and is said to have “partner[ed] with him on political matters.”
As of Monday morning, CMP has not commented on the ruling. In July, criminal charges against CMP founder David Daleiden were dropped.
