A Texas court dropped all charges against president of the Center for Medical Progress David Daleiden and his associate Sandra Merritt in connection with their undercover investigation of fetal tissue handling at Planned Parenthood, which was secretly recorded and released in a series of videos.
District Judge Brock Thomas dismissed the case after Harris County District Attorney's office pulled back the charges.
Daleiden's attorneys said that the indictment against them was based on incorrect interpretation of their actions, which included using fake drivers' licenses to gain entry into the Houston Planned Parenthood clinic for the purpose of investigating the alleged sale of fetal tissue by the abortion provider.
"Today's dismissal in Houston is a huge win for the First Amendment rights of undercover journalists. David Daleiden used standard undercover journalism techniques and followed all applicable laws in doing so. This meritless and retaliatory prosecution should never have been brought," Daleiden's attorney Peter Breen told TRUNEWS.
The president of CMP was indicted on another charge for pretending to buy baby organs, but was relieved of the charges about a month ago.
The charge was dismissed as a "defective indictment" because of its failure to negate the exception in Penal Code Section 48.02.
Daleiden had maintained that CMP worked under the purview of law in making the videos.
"The Center for Medical Progress uses the same undercover techniques that investigative journalists have used for decades in exercising our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press, and follows all applicable laws. We respect the processes of the Harris County district attorney, and note that buying fetal tissue requires a seller as well. Planned Parenthood still cannot deny the admissions from their leadership about fetal organ sales captured on video for all the world to see," Daleiden had said in a statement, when he and Merritt were first indicted earlier this year.
If Daleiden and Merritt were convicted of the charges, they would have faced sentences carrying up to 20 years in prison.
