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New York AG Letitia James loses first round in legal battle against pro-life pregnancy centers – LifeSite


If you or someone you know has taken the abortion pill, there may still be a chance of reversing the abortion process and saving the baby’s life, even after 72 hours. Time is of the essence. Call the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) hotline at (877) 558-0333.

ROCHESTER, New York (Thomas More Society) — Thomas More Society attorneys have responded to a court order rejecting New York Attorney General Letitia James’ attempt to move litigation involving pregnancy help organizations to Manhattan from upstate New York. The statement by the national not-for-profit law firm representing a dozen pregnancy help organizations, including Heartbeat International and CompassCare, was issued on May 28, 2024.

New York Supreme Court Justice Sam Valleriani issued the consolidation order on May 24, 2024. This combines a lawsuit brought by James against pregnancy help organizations in Manhattan, New York, with the previously filed case brought by the organizations in Rochester’s Monroe County Court. James had tried to relocate the lawsuit against her from its Rochester venue to New York County Court in Manhattan, hundreds of miles away.

READ: 4,000 babies in the US have been saved by abortion pill reversal since 2012: report

Peter Breen, Thomas More Society executive vice president and head of litigation, said, “For the past month, Letitia James has tried to illegally frighten and harass New York’s pregnancy help organizations into silence, threatening them with lawsuits if they keep speaking their truthful message about Abortion Pill Reversal. We brought suit in Rochester, near to where most of the organizations are headquartered and work.”

“Instead of agreeing to a convenient venue, James then sued these charitable organizations in Manhattan, despite the fact that not a single one of the organizations is located there. We are pleased that the court in Monroe County agreed that the cases should be consolidated together and heard in Rochester, the ‘most fair, appropriate and logistically convenient venue,’ and not in Manhattan, which has no connection to the case,” Breen continued.

“We look forward to defending Heartbeat International, CompassCare, and all of New York’s pregnancy help organizations targeted by James’ unconstitutional witch-hunt,” he added. “New Yorkers deserve to know that Abortion Pill Reversal is not just possible but safe and effective, and our clients have the right to share that truth with women who are undergoing a chemical abortion that they do not want to continue.” 

Thomas More Society attorneys filed suit on April 30, 2024, against James in Monroe County, on behalf of Heartbeat International and a group of New York pregnancy help organizations. On May 6, 2024, James filed a lawsuit against the same organizations, in New York County, which covers Manhattan.

Read the Order of Consolidation, granted May 24, 2024, by Justice Sam L. Valleriani of the Supreme Court of the State of New York – Monroe County, in the consolidated lawsuits, now titled Letitia James v. Heartbeat International, et al.here.

Read the Decision on Motion to Consolidate, dated May 21, 2024, by Justice Sam L. Valleriani of the Supreme Court of the State of New York – Monroe Countyhere.

Read the Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Consolidate, filed by Thomas More Society attorneys on May 7, 2024, here.

Read about Thomas More Society’s representation of Heartbeat International, CompassCare, and other pregnancy help organizations in New York, and see relevant legal filings, here.

Republished with permission from Thomas More Society.

About Thomas More Society

Thomas More Society is a national not-for-profit law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, and freedom. Headquartered in Chicago and with offices across the country, the Thomas More Society fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. For more information, visit thomasmoresociety.org.

For emergency medical help to reversal a drug-induced abortion, immediately call the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) hotline at: (877) 558-0333


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