Toledo abortion clinic fights for compensation after winning anti-abortion legal battle—Toledo Blade
Judge Lori Olender dismissed the case against Ms. Stower in September. She wrote in her ruling that it was ‘clear that the plaintiff lacks standing to bring suit.’
Now, Ms. Stower and her legal team, spearheaded by Fairlawn, Ohio-based attorney Peter Pattakos, are seeking compensation from Mr. Barefoot and his affiliated organizations for the time and effort it took to fight their unfounded lawsuit. Mr. Pattakos was joined by Jessie Hill, a Case Western Reserve University law professor and representative of the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
They argued during a hearing Thursday that the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit that was unwarranted under Ohio law, had no evidentiary support, and was for an improper purpose: ‘to merely harass or maliciously injure the defendants, including by burdening them with litigation costs.’
‘This is a textbook case of sanctionable conduct and that the sanctions are absolutely necessary in this case to deter this and any future baseless lawsuits in this relentless campaign to shut down a lawful, and constitutionally protected business,’ Ms. Hill said.