Court drops ‘false identification’ charge against undercover journalist who exposed Planned Parenthood

The “false identification documents” charge brought against Center for Medical Progress (CMP) undercover investigator Sandra Merritt has been dropped. Merritt’s legal representation at Liberty Counsel announced on Wednesday that the San Francisco Superior Court has dismissed the charge brought against Merritt by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on December 13, 2019, due to the statute of limitations.

“Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos previously dismissed the criminal charge, concluding there was insufficient evidence that Merritt used a ‘deceptive ID’ that did not contain the disclaimer required by the statute,” wrote Liberty Counsel.

Merritt, along with David Daleiden, secretly filmed Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of fetal body parts from abortions committed at Planned Parenthood affiliates. In order to remain undercover, they used alternate identities. The undercover recordings filmed by CMP exposed Planned Parenthood executives haggling over the pricing of fetal body parts and discussing how abortionists can alter abortion procedures to ensure they don’t “crush” the organs that have been requested by procurement agencies seeking fetal body parts to sell to researchers.

READ: Judge: Daleiden must raise $600K in 11 days, or Planned Parenthood can take his assets

Planned Parenthood sued CMP over the recordings but have admitted everything they are heard saying in the videos regarding fetal body parts was accurate, and have never sued Daleiden or Merritt for defamation.

Other charges against Merritt and Daleiden have also been dropped. In July, two charges against Merritt and one charge against Daleiden were dropped in the case of The People of the State of California vs. David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt. The defendants and their legal teams hope that eventually, all charges will be dropped.

“With each passing week and each new hearing, the attorney general’s political prosecution of Sandra Merritt is exposed for the sham that it is, and neutered,” said Liberty Counsel Vice President of Legal Affairs and Cheif Litigation Counsel Horatio Mihet, who presented oral arguments before Judge Christopher Hite Tuesday via Zoom. “The process is lengthy and costly, just as the attorney general has intended, but at the end of the day Sandra Merritt will be vindicated.”

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