On behalf of a number of Aurora citizens who took part in the 40 day prayer vigil, Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society will file a $7.5 million lawsuit against Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area and its CEO Steve Trombley Tuesday.
The lawsuit is in response to Trombley's September 4 letter to Aurora aldermen, which he also sent to the Aurora Beacon.
In it he included "those who oppose" the PP Aurora facility in his false condemnation of Joe Scheidler and the Pro-Life Action League as having a "well-documented history of advocating violence against both persons and property."
Trombley further implicated Aurora protesters when he stated in that letter:
Does it truly come as a surprise, then, that as we complied with all legal and public disclosure requirements, we simultaneously sought to keep this private while the construction was proceeding because the zealots who have been opposing our new facility have a well-documented history of violence and criminal activity?
According to Brejcha in a phone interview this morning:
If you look at the letter to aldermen, Trombley included those in Aurora who oppose the clinic in his general smear. Whatever these people are, they are one removed from Scheidler and the League. And the answer on whether Scheidler and the League are violent was answered by the Supreme Court 8-1 and 8-0. Trombley took even that false assertion a step further.
The lawsuit will be filed in Kane County. The amount corresponds with PP's stated value of its Aurora mill.
On September 7, Brejcha sent Trombley a letter demanding he retract or face "legal redress."
Trombley/PP responded by placing a full page ad in the Beacon on September 10 making the same charges, complete with a photo of an arsoned MI Planned Parenthood building.
Well, along these lines, perhaps Planned Parenthood of Colorado should file a libel lawsuit against Colorado Right to Life over their press release that said, "During the annual 'Light On Life' Banquet Dinner for Colorado Right To Life on Saturday evening, supposed Planned Parenthood supporters stole a mobile billboard sign from the Truth Truck that CRTL uses."
The press release goes on to say "There is an ongoing police investigation to find the individuals who stole the Billboard." If they haven't caught the culprits yet, how do they know they were PP supporters, supporters of reproductive rights in general and not specifically PP, thieves looking for some free canvas, or just opportunistic vandals? If Trombley committed libel, so has CRTL.
Seriously, Trombley did not name any specific group involved in the current protests. His statement was truthful, however, in that there is a documented history of violence by some abortion foes including the arsoned clinic in Michigan and several murdered clinic staff and doctors. I think the suit is misguided, and that if the Thomas More Society wins, it would signal a very worrisome chill for freedom of speech in this country.
Once again, if some people would really read the entire Trombley letter, they'd have seen this:
"The activists of the Pro-Life Action League who have been opposing our new facility are headquartered in Aurora and have a well-documented history of advocating violence against both persons and property as well as other related criminal activity."
and that he names Joe Scheidler by name.
As for Colorado, who the heck else would steal it? Honestly! Some people ought do some actual homework, maybe, for a change.
You know, Ray, it really IS "Don't Feed The Trolls" time now.
I have seen people who go to the mat to defend their precious abortion and Planned Parenthood, but you take it to new lows!
Best of luck in your parallel universe, Ray.