Posted on 11/14/2019 9:22:56 AM PST by Morgana
A California judge with ties to Planned Parenthood told a jury this week that David Daleiden is guilty of trespassing.
The statement from Judge William Orrick came at the conclusion of a month-long trial against Daleiden, Sandra Merritt and others with the Center for Medical Progress who helped to release undercover videos of Planned Parenthood allegedly selling aborted baby body parts for profit.
Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit accusing them of more than a dozen crimes, including trespassing, breach of confidentiality, wiretapping and conspiracy. The trial is separate from a criminal case against Daleiden and Merritt launched by former California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
The jury currently is deliberating, but before they began, Orrick gave them instructions about how to make their decision, including his decision that Daleiden is guilty, the Daily Wire reports.
I have already determined that these defendants trespassed at each of these locations. Because I determined that these defendants trespassed, the law assumes that Planned Parenthood has been harmed and is entitled to an award of nominal damages such as one dollar for each trespass, he told the jury.
Orrick said the Center for Medical Progress investigators trespassed at the 2014 Forum in Miami, Florida; at the 2015 MeDC meeting in Orlando, Florida; and the 2015 National Conference in Washington, D.C. as well as at the Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountain Center in Colorado and a Planned Parenthood Center in Texas.
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Heres more from the report:
The judge said the jury must accept his rulings and only decide if Planned Parenthood suffered damage from the trespass and what damages they should be awarded.
Planned Parenthood originally sought $20 million in damages for trespassing, fraud, and RICO conspiracy against Daleiden and his colleagues. However, Judge Orrick reduced potential damages to $600,000.
The investigative teams lawyers repeatedly have criticized how Orrick handled the case, including refusing to allow key experts to testify and to allow the jury to watch some of the undercover footage obtained by Daleiden and Merritt.
Orrick has close ties to the Planned Parenthood abortion chain, but he refused to recuse himself from the case. Prior to becoming a judge, Orrick served on the board of a San Francisco-area family resource center that shares space and helps run a Planned Parenthood facility that refers for abortions.
The undercover investigation exposed numerous atrocities inside Planned Parenthood abortion facilities across the U.S. Its findings prompted investigations by the U.S. House and Senate, as well as a number of states.
Not only did the Center for Medical Progress investigation raise concerns about potentially illegal sales of human body parts, but it also uncovered evidence of abortionists allegedly putting womens lives at greater risk by altering abortion procedures to better harvest aborted baby parts. The investigators also found evidence of possible patient privacy violations.
Daleiden and his fellow investigators contend that they did not do anything wrong; they are undercover journalists who worked to expose the unethical and potentially illegal harvesting and sales of aborted baby body parts by Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion provider.
Peter Breen, Daleidens lawyer, said their goal was to inform the public of potential wrong-doing within the abortion industry. Planned Parenthood is a billion-dollar nonprofit that does more abortions than any other group in America and has massive political power, dumping tens of millions of dollars into elections each year.
This case is about the steps it took for private citizen investigators to cut through a curtain of silence and concealment, Breen said in his closing statement. They didnt do it for profit or for personal gain. They did it for the paramount public purpose of letting Americans know and law enforcers investigate whether and to what extent our laws may have been violated.
Earlier in the trial, Orrick allowed the jury to see an ABC News 20/20 investigation from 2000 that sparked Daleidens own investigation. The mainstream news outlet found similar evidence of abortionists selling aborted baby body parts for a profit, in violation of the law.
At another point during the trial, a Planned Parenthood witness admitted that some of the security threats that they blame on Daleidens exposé were not actual threats. Instead, they were letters from people saying they were praying for abortion clinic staff. Still other security incidents were completely unrelated to the undercover investigation.
Lawyers that become judges Is there ANYTHING they cant do?
I am developing a deep revulsion to layers, judges, Drats and their supporters. Pubic school teachers, too.
Rat judge did not order them to find him guilty.
Rat judge proclaimed him guilty, then told jury all theyll do is determine level of punishment.
Another tyrant.
Can anyone tell me if Planned Parenthood has been fined, legally restricted, under investigation or anything since the discovery of this campaign of Genocide? Has anything come of this?
Oddly, I've never been selected...
In the People’s Republic of California, this is a show trial. Outcome determined in advance. It’ll have to go up to SCOTUS. The 9th Circus is still the 9th Circus, even though Trump has appointed a few judges.
Whats the point of a jury trial then ?
Wouldn’t this set a precedent— that protestors of conscience WRT any issue— not just abortion— can be arrested, charged, sued for “trespassing” and documenting & reporting horrendous crimes?
So if someone “trespassed” at Auschwitz in 1944, or at an Antifa meeting in 2020 where random assaults/ assassinations are being planned...
Why is what Planned Parenthood does —illegally— with dead babies a “privacy” issue?
“The jury currently is deliberating, but before they began, Orrick gave them instructions about how to make their decision, including his decision that Daleiden is guilty, the Daily Wire reports. “
completely fake news started by “daily wire” with no attribution and no other sources but “conservative” fake blogosphere websites going nuts replicating this nonsense ..
Sounds like grounds for a mistrial
And disbarment
It appears that this is a civil action, and the court can direct a verdict based on his/her assessment of the sufficiency of evidence. As others in this thread have pointed out, he could not direct a verdict of guilty in a criminal case.
Was this the judge also violated a proper voir dire procedure where he prohibited the defense from participating in jury selection?
Will this judge also tell the jury what the sentence shall be?
Stalin in Hell is laughing.
That's not what the article says.
The jury currently is deliberating, but before they began, Orrick gave them instructions about how to make their decision, including his decision that Daleiden is guilty, the Daily Wire reports.
If you have another source that supports your assertion, please provide a link.
Like I say if you have another source that shows otherwise, please post a link.
The judge in the Baby Body Parts trial of activist and journalist David Daleiden has ordered the jury find him guilty of trespassing at Planned Parenthood conferences and clinics before the jury retired to consider a verdict.
The judge stated that the jury must find that Daleiden and others trespassed at the 2014 Forum in Miami, Florida; at the 2015 MeDC meeting in Orlando, Florida; and the 2015 National Conference in Washington, D.C.
I have already determined that these defendants trespassed at each of these locations. Because I determined that these defendants trespassed, the law assumes that Planned Parenthood has been harmed and is entitled to an award of nominal damages such as one dollar for each trespass, he told the jury as the trial comes to a conclusion.
The judge said he had also determined that Daleiden and his colleagues trespassed at the Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountain Center in Colorado and a Planned Parenthood Center in Texas.
The judge said the jury must accept his rulings and only decide if Planned Parenthood suffered damage from the trespass and what damages they should be awarded.
Judge In Planned Parenthood Trial Orders Guilty Verdict Against Journalist
Every source I've found said that a judge cannot direct a guilty verdict in either civil or criminal trials. The judge can only order a directed verdict for not-guilty.
From: Directed Verdict:
Historically, when a judge issued a directed verdict, he would instruct the jury to return the exact verdict. In modern times, however, a judge often returns the verdict without consulting the jury beforehand. A directed verdict can only be one of innocence to prevent a defendant from receiving an unfair trial. A directed verdict cannot find a defendant guilty of civil or criminal charges.
From: What is a Directed Verdict?:
Can a Judge Find a Defendant Guilty?
Though this type of verdict may find a suspected criminal not guilty, it cannot find a defendant guilty. Federal law in the United States gives suspected criminals the right to face a jury of their peers. If the judge allows the jury to find an individual guilty without listening to all witnesses and looking at all evidence, it is a violation of that law. Even if the judge believes that the person is guilty, that suspected criminal must have access to a trial in front of a jury.
The American legal system protects the rights of both victims and suspected criminals. It allows all criminals the right to a jury trial and allows that jury to make a final determination regarding an individuals guilt or innocence. If the judge believes that the prosecution failed to make its case in civil or criminal proceedings, he or she may order a directed verdict.
“Oddly, I’ve never been selected”
The first time I got called for jury duty I was not too pleased, but when the day came and I was selected for a couple of panels, I actually found it very interesting and enjoyable. I was working for a big company at the time, so it was not a financial burden. I do understand if you are self employed you cannot just take a few days off to convict some drunk driver. But in the near future, it may fall to juries to nullify unjust prosecutions, so some sacrifice may be in order.
In this case, I would nullify just to spite this SOB.
He is likely pretty safe in knowing that the jury is clueless.
The missus was on a jury for a murder trial...probably the first such crime in 25-years in our little community.
After the trial was completed she told me what the judge's instructions to the jury were and I was absolutely amazed at how judges think they have the power to tell juries how to decide a case.
I would have told the jury to disregard the instructions from the judge and decide on the evidence.
unless directly asked about jury nullification I wont say anything about my willingness to participate in jury nullification...a jury is the last line of defense against a corrupt court and punitive laws that should not be on the books. telling the court you are willing to vote your conscience defeats the purpose.
It’s a gift, he just handed the defendant the keys to an appeal
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