More criminal charges against David Daleiden dropped, AG seeks to block defense from talking to press
From yesterday comes the presser:
Thomas More Society attorneys secured the dismissal of five more felony counts, six in total, at the conclusion of the Preliminary Hearing in the California criminal case against undercover journalist David Daleiden. Superior Court Judge Christopher Hite issued his final probable cause order today, leaving nine out of an original fifteen felony counts, to proceed to trial. The Thomas More Society continues in the defense of Daleiden, whose videos exposed a variety of illegal and unethical practices in the fetal tissue trade of the abortion industry. As a result of his investigation into alleged criminal acts by Planned Parenthood and its partners, Daleiden was charged by the California Attorney General, in a prosecution started by former Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
photo/ jessica45
Thomas More Society Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen, who has been leading the firm’s defense of Daleiden and his First Amendment rights, stated, “We are very pleased by the decision today to throw out another five felony charges against David Daleiden. As to the remaining counts, we have strong defenses that we intend to vigorously pursue on appeal, until every last one of these specious felony charges are thrown out of court.
Mr. Daleiden followed the same commonly accepted practices, including videotaping in public places, as other undercover journalists. David Daleiden is being charged as a criminal for openly delivering information that the public has a right to know, information that the abortion lobby and its financially supported elected officials would rather keep hidden. This prosecution by the State of California is an abuse of the justice system, and we are confident that, in the end, we will totally vindicate David.”
Today’s ruling concludes the Preliminary Hearing held in September 2019, which featured testimony attorneys at the not-for-profit public interest Thomas More Society described as “explosive.” During several weeks in September, testimony in The People of the State of California v. David Robert Daleiden and Sandra Susan Merritt before Hite featured the following:
- a retired late-term abortionist who disclosed that she routinely killed babies in utero with digoxin to prevent the “biggest disaster” of a live delivery
- a self-proclaimed “celebrity” abortionist who boasted in court that born-alive babies are “one of the worst nightmares” for an abortion provider
- a former Planned Parenthood medical director who was caught in blatant contradiction over the confidentiality of conversations
- an abortion worker who confessed to knowing that her tissue procurement business partner was involved in profit-making off of baby parts purchasing
- an abortionist who was exposed on video and then tried to deny everything she was recorded saying
- a fetal tissue broker who admitted selling baby hearts and intact baby heads and even fully intact fetuses
Each of the above witnesses was allowed to testify without being named – despite the fact that they are the accusers through which the State of California is trying to jail David Daleiden.
During the Preliminary Hearing, the prosecution also attempted to have the judge prohibit the defense attorneys from speaking to the media. The judge refused that request.
Daleiden’s undercover research into illegal baby body parts trafficking spawned multiple lawsuits by the abortion industry. In the case of the California criminal charges, Daleiden’s exposé resulted in prosecution by Harris and her successor, Xavier Becerra, both of whom have been closely allied with, and supported by, Planned Parenthood.
Background on this and related cases in which the Thomas More Society is defending Daleiden for his exposé of Planned Parenthood’s alleged participation in trafficking baby body parts can be found here [https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/about/stop-baby-parts-trafficking/].
About the Thomas More Society
Thomas More Society is a national not-for-profit law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, and religious liberty. Headquartered in Chicago and Omaha, the Thomas More Society fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. Visit thomasmoresociety.org.
photo/Pro-Life Action League
