A federal judge has decided not to dismiss a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood against an anti-abortion rights group that released a series of allegedly misleading videos last year.
The videos and the motion to dismiss the case came from a group called the Center for Medical Progress. Their videos claimed to show Planned Parenthood officials illegally involved in selling fetal tissue.
After the videos were released, a number of state and federal investigations were launched into the alleged illegal activity by Planned Parenthood. No evidence of any wrongdoing was found.
Tracy Skaddan is general counsel for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, one of seven California affiliates that filed the lawsuit along with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She said the people involved in making the videos should be held responsible.
“The individuals and the fake company who did this against Planned Parenthood violated many state and federal laws, and we are going to prove that in this lawsuit," she said.
The suit argues the defendants committed racketeering and mail fraud, among other crimes.
The trail for the lawsuit is set for December 2017.
