There was some great news out of Kane County yesterday. A judge
threw out significant portions of a defamation lawsuit against Planned
Parenthood of Illinois. The Tribune has the details:
Eric Scheidler and the Pro-Life Action League filed the lawsuit in Circuit Court last fall. Planned Parenthood of Illinois president Steve Trombley was accused of defaming the group in written statements to the Aurora City Council and in an ad in a local newspaper, saying the Pro-Life Action League had a "history of violence."
Judge Judith Brawka granted Planned Parenthood's request to dismiss the suit under the Illinois Citizen Participation Act. The law, which took effect a little more than a year ago, is meant to "protect and encourage" public participation in government.
Leah Bruno, a lawyer for Planned Parenthood, said the judge's ruling affirms what her client has said all along: that political speech should be protected.
This comes just days after the Aurora Zoning Board of Appeals tossed out a challenge to the state-of-the-art facility opened last October, a significant acheivement for the pro-choice community in the Midwest.
Post new comment