Judge rejects Planned Parenthood’s attempt to kill false advertising complaint

A judge has rejected Planned Parenthood's effort to dismiss a complaint from the Florida Attorney General's Office accusing the nation's leading abortion provider of violating laws against false advertising.

Circuit Court Judge J. Scott Duncan of the First Judicial Circuit in and for Santa Rosa County issued an order last week denying Planned Parenthood's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

At issue is whether Planned Parenthood violated state law when it claimed that abortion-inducing drugs are safer than various over-the-counter drugs.

Duncan wrote that "the Court cannot conclude at this stage of the litigation" whether the abortion provider's claims constituted "non-actionable puffery," or exaggerated claims about a product that are protected by law.

"In making a comparison, the Defendants went beyond vague promotional language," Duncan wrote. "Now whether these statements are actionable or non-actionable may depend upon the context in which they were made."

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