After nearly a decade of legal battles, the final criminal charge against pro-life journalists David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt has been dismissed, bringing a high-profile California case to a close.
Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress, announced the development in a post on X, calling it the end of a long and contentious prosecution. The dismissal follows a January 2025 settlement agreement with the state of California, which required both Daleiden and Merritt to enter a “no contest” plea to a single misdemeanor charge related to video recordings. Under the terms, that plea was later converted into a “not guilty” judgment and ultimately dismissed and expunged.
The case stems from a series of undercover videos released in 2015 by CMP, which showed officials affiliated with Planned Parenthood and other entities discussing the handling of fetal tissue. The videos created nationwide controversy, multiple investigations, and a years-long legal fight over both their content and the methods used to obtain them.
In 2017, the California Department of Justice charged Daleiden and Merritt with multiple felony counts for allegedly violating state recording laws. Over time, many of those charges were dismissed, and the 2025 agreement resolved the remaining count.
Supporters of the journalists argue the case represented a politically motivated prosecution. Steve Cooley, who led Daleiden’s legal defense, previously described the case as a “blatant exercise of selective investigation and vindictive prosecution.” Likewise, Liberty Counsel, which represented Merritt, said the outcome ends an unjust effort to criminalize undercover journalism conducted in the public interest.
California officials, however, framed the earlier plea agreement differently. Attorney General Rob Bonta described the 2025 resolution as a legal victory tied to protecting access to reproductive healthcare and enforcing privacy laws. His office has not issued a detailed response following the final dismissal.
The controversy surrounding the videos themselves has never been fully resolved. CMP has maintained that the footage exposed illegal activity involving the sale of fetal tissue, which is prohibited under federal law if done for profit. However, Planned Parenthood has consistently denied wrongdoing, insisting that the videos were selectively edited and that its practices complied with legal and ethical standards.
Separate from the criminal case, civil litigation also followed. A federal court ordered Daleiden to pay millions in damages to Planned Parenthood and associated groups, and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear his appeal in 2023.
The case also drew scrutiny due to the involvement of then–California Attorney General Kamala Harris, whose office authorized a 2016 raid on Daleiden’s home. Critics alleged conflicts of interest due to her political ties to pro-abortion organizations.
With the final charge now dismissed and the case expunged, the criminal proceedings against Daleiden and Merritt have officially concluded.
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Amazing! This case should have been dismissed many years ago.
It’s like a criminal suing someone who caught them robbing someone on film.
ALL actions that involve anyone who does any business with anyone else … should be open to legal observation by anyone.
That’s called a ‘free and open society’!
Anything else can be used to hide graft of any sort.
He should sue them into oblivion. What they put him through and the Nazi tactics, are absolutely disgusting. They are evildoers, all involved in this unjust treatment, but if/when DemoKKKrats get back in office, this will be the norm. They are already threatening DJT for trying to root out the swamp creatures. God will repay them.