New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against two anti-abortion activists, accusing them of illegally blocking access to a Planned Parenthood clinic and harassing patients and staffers.
James (D) is seeking a preliminary injunction prohibiting Bevelyn Beatty and Edmee Chavannes from coming within a buffer zone around the immediate area of the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s Manhattan Health Center.
James’s office alleges that Beatty and Chavannes would disregard public safety orders throughout the pandemic, repeatedly getting up close with patients and clinic staff without masks.
The lawsuit also claims that on at least one occasion in June 2020, Beatty became violent during a demonstration at the clinic when she “slammed a staff member’s hand in the door, causing her to need x-rays; repeatedly shoved a clinic volunteer attempting to enter the clinic; slapped a different volunteer in the face; and threatened to knock an escort unconscious.”