Final charge dropped in yearslong Harris-era case against pro-life activist
A California judge on Wednesday cleared the final legal hurdle in the long-running prosecution of a pro-life activist who alleged in undercover videos that abortion providers were illegally profiting from...
By Fox News · Fox News
A California judge on Wednesday cleared the final legal hurdle in the long-running prosecution of a pro-life activist who alleged in undercover videos that abortion providers were illegally profiting from fetal tissue. "As promised, the final charge has been DISMISSED and the case completely expunged— —after a couple months' administrative delay, and a truly bizarre last-minute 'April Fool's' attempt by @PPFA and @NatAbortionFed t o overturn the State's agreement," Center for Medical Progress founder David Daleiden tweeted on Wednesday, including a previous statement made on the reached settlement. Daleiden, who alongside undercover journalist Sandra Merritt, faced 15 charges filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in 2017. The charges stemmed from an investigation prompted by former California Attorney General Harris' office, who left her position as state attorney general in January 2017 after being elected to the U.S. Senate. APPEALS COURT HEARS MEDICAID FRAUD CASE THAT COULD COST PLANNED PARENTHOOD $1.8 BILLION In January 2025, Daleiden and Merritt each pleaded no contest to one felony count under a settlement with California, which dismissed the remaining charges. Under the agreement, they faced no jail time, fines, or admissions of wrongdoing. On Wednesday, San Francisco County Judge Brian Ferrall dropped the last charge against Daleiden and expunged the case. In a statement made last year, Daleiden said that the end of "the lawfare launched by Kamala Harris [is] a huge victory for my investigative reporting for the public's right to know the truth about Planned Parenthood's sale of aborted baby body parts." NEWSOM BAILS OUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD WITH $140M TO KEEP 100 CLINICS OPEN AFTER TRUMP CUTS In January 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta cast the plea deal as a victory for reproductive healthcare access, saying in a press release that his office had secured felony convictions. Under the agreement, Daleiden and Merritt were required to…