10/22 – Day 11 – PPFA v. CMP Trial Summary

Planned Parenthood lawyer Rhoda Trotter continued her direct examination of David Daleiden in day 11 of the civil trial in San Francisco, attempting to develop a narrative that CMP investigators carelessly recorded everyone they came across in a desperate attempt to find evidence of crimes. However, this narrative attempt was based on gross departures from the facts to which Daleiden testified. The following exchanges are examples of what transpired today:

  • After playing a video never before released by CMP but played by the Plaintiff’s during today’s proceedings the following exchange ensued:
    Trotter: …You had no reason to believe that the person that we just saw in that video had committed any crime; correct?
    Daleiden: No. This was a friendly conversation in public.
    Trotter: But you taped her anyway?
    Daleiden: I think — you know, I taped a friendly conversation that we had in public and, for the record, this is a video that I have never released. This is the first time that this video has ever been played, you know, by the plaintiffs publicly in this courtroom…
  • In another exchange, Planned Parenthood counsel attempted to mischaracterize Daleiden’s words on a video tape:
    Trotter: Mr. Daleiden, you would agree, would you not, that trying to find evidence of a crime at these various conferences was like trying to find a needle in a haystack?
    Daleiden: No, I would not agree with that. There were quite a lot of conversations and admissions that the people that I spoke to at those conferences made that I think are very disturbing and that I — that needed to be reported.
    Planned Parenthood played a 3-4 second clip in which Daleiden states “what we are trying to do” is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
    Trotter: Mr. Daleiden, that was you and Mr. Lopez having that discussion that we just saw; correct?
    Daleiden: As I remember, that was me and Adrian talking about how difficult it was to find Dr. Laura Dalton at that meeting. Because Dr. Nucatola was trying to introduce her to us, but nobody could find her.
    Trotter: And you used the words “it’s like finding a needle in a haystack what we’re trying to do;” correct?
    Daleiden: In reference to trying to find somebody in an extremely crowded outdoor public area, someone trying to find someone that you never met before and didn’t know what they looked like.
  • When Trotter concluded direct examination, she was followed by CMP counsel Charles LiMandri. LiMandri asked Daleiden what informed his decision to go undercover. Daleiden indicated this ABC 20/20 report on fetal body parts sales led him to believe another more extensive undercover investigation was necessary since nothing had been done since ABC’s segment first aired.

Proceedings continue at 8:00 A.M. on Wednesday, October 23, in San Francisco Federal District Court at 450 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102, in Courtroom 2 on Floor 17.