David Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) famously revealed through undercover journalism that Planned Parenthood profits from the sale of body parts harvested from aborted children. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that Planned Parenthood purposefully altered abortion procedures with the goal of harvesting more intact body parts. This practice increased the risk of injury for the pregnant mother and increased the potential for partial-birth abortions.
A playlist of the CMP's undercover footage can be found here. In these videos, CMP journalists posed as medical researchers inquiring about the process so they could potentially purchase harvested body parts.
After the footage was released, Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against Daleiden for a variety of offenses, including violation of non-disclosure agreements, trespassing, and RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) violations.
Daleiden was found guilty by California District Court Judge William Orrick III and ordered to pay $2.4 million in damages plus $13 million in attorney fees. Orrick did not recuse himself despite having founded a Planned Parenthood clinic, which gave him a financial interest in the abortion giant's success. This was the basis for Daleiden's appeal, but the Ninth Circuit denied that Orrick had any financial interest in the outcome of the case.
Daleiden, represented by the Thomas More Society, will take the case to the full panel of judges for the Ninth Circuit. If they do not succeed there, they plan to appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
