{"id":2254056,"date":"2024-05-28T04:25:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T08:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-abortion-activist-mark-houck-sues-doj-over-retaliatory-arrest\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T04:31:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T08:31:55","slug":"anti-abortion-activist-mark-houck-sues-doj-over-retaliatory-arrest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-abortion-activist-mark-houck-sues-doj-over-retaliatory-arrest\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Houck, anti-abortion activist, files lawsuit against DOJ for &#8216;vengeful&#8217; arrest"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fanti-abortion-activist-mark-houck-sues-doj-over-retaliatory-arrest%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2254056&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the fall\u2063 of 2022, \u200canti-abortion activist Mark Houck was arrested, \u200cleading to a turning point \u2063in\u200c his life. Following\u200c an incident at \u2063a \u2063Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic, he was detained \u200cat gunpoint in front of his family. Houck, a Catholic father based in Pennsylvania, was acquitted by a \u200bjury in January 2023 and has\u2062 now filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit, filed this \u200cweek, accuses the DOJ under\u200c the Biden administration of \u2062various \u2064charges, including malicious prosecution, retaliatory \u2063prosecution, and abuse of process. The complaint specifically \u200ccalls out six police officers, all of\u200d whom were involved in the raid on Houck&#8217;s home \u2063which his\u2063 attorney,\u2062 Matt Britton, describes as \u201cneedless\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The charges Houck faced \u2063in court, which could have \u2062resulted in imprisonment for up to \u200b11 years, accused him of violating the Freedom of\u2062 Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE, Act. The prosecution alleged that he \u201cforcefully \u2064shoved\u201d a Planned\u2064 Parenthood volunteer \u2062named Bruce Love. Houck, however, \u2064denied attacking Love. He expressed that \u200cthe\u200b supposed attack was only a protective maneuver against Love&#8217;s disturbing behavior towards his son. <\/p>\n<p>The abrupt raid on Houck&#8217;s house\u200c and his subsequent arrest sparked outrage among conservatives, who perceived the actions of the Department of Justice as\u200b an unfair targeting\u2062 of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/planned-parenthood-keeps-losing-in-missouri\/\" title=\"Planned Parenthood faces ongoing challenges in Missouri\">anti-abortion \u2063activists<\/a>.\u200c Now, Houck&#8217;s\u2062 lawsuit is receiving support\u2062 from the activist group 40\u200c Days for Life\u2063 and its recently launched Institute of Law &#038; Justice.\u2063 CEO Shawn Carney expresses that the institute&#8217;s goal \u2063is to \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-agrees-to-let-spygate-cabal-hide-some-of-their-emails-from-the-grand-jury\/\" title=\"Court Agrees To Let Spygate Cabal Hide Some Of Their Emails From The Grand Jury\">provide legal support<\/a> against the DOJ&#8217;s increased targeting \u2062of anti-abortion campaigners. <\/p>\n<p>Carney revealed that before the 2022 overturning of \u2063Roe\u200b v. \u200bWade, his group had relied \u2063heavily on the\u2063 DOJ and\u2062 FBI for protection\u2064 during vigils. However, following\u2064 the court&#8217;s decision, their\u200d members, \u200dincluding Houck, faced increased \u200dattacks\u2064 and targeting. The situation intensified to\u2064 the \u200dpoint where they \u2064began receiving between \u2064one and \u200ctwo\u200c targeted \u200cinquiries \u200dper \u2062week \u200dfrom the\u200b FBI against\u200c its law-abiding volunteers.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2725276\/catholic-activist-mark-houck-acquitted-after-being-accused-of-shoving-abortion-clinic-volunteer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mark Houck<\/a>\u2018s life was changed forever in the fall of 2022 after he was arrested at gunpoint in front of his family following an investigation into his anti-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abortion<\/a> activism outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/philadelphia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Philadelphia<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>After the Pennsylvania-based Catholic father\u2019s acquittal by a jury in January 2023, Houck is demanding accountability for the Department of Justice in a new lawsuit filed this week. The complaint names six police officers, including four unknown officers, that aided the FBI\u2019s investigation and execution of the \u201cneedless\u201d raid of Houck\u2019s home, his attorney Matt Britton told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Anti-abortion activist Mark Houck and his family. (Thomas More Society)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The suit was brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act, accusing the DOJ under the Biden administration of \u201cmalicious prosecution, retaliatory prosecution, abuse of process, false arrest, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress committed by federal employees and agents against Mr. Houck, Mrs. Houck, and their children,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/735825976\/2024-05-20-Complaint\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the 79-page lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>Houck was accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE, Act, with prosecutors alleging that he \u201cforcefully shoved\u201d Philadelphia-based Planned Parenthood volunteer Bruce Love. He denied that he attacked Love and said that the volunteer had engaged in vulgar and harassing behavior toward his son, and he claimed that he only shoved Love to protect his child. A jury ultimately acquitted him of all charges he faced in January last year; the charges could have sent him to prison for up to 11 years.<\/p>\n<p>The abrupt raid on the 49-year-old Catholic activist\u2019s house drew widespread condemnation from conservatives who accused the Department of Justice of unfairly targeting anti-abortion activists.<\/p>\n<p>Houck\u2019s new lawsuit is backed by activist group 40 Days for Life\u2019s recently launched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.40daysforlife.com\/en\/institute-of-law-and-justice.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Institute of Law &#038; Justice<\/a>. Shawn Carney, president and CEO of 40 Days for Life, told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that ILJ aims to provide \u201cessential\u201d legal support to his group and its campaign leaders to ensure \u201cthey are protected from the increasing harassment and targeted actions by the DOJ.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before the 2022 overturning of <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em>, Carney\u2019s group relied greatly on men and women at the FBI and DOJ for safety during vigils.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis cooperation spanned multiple administrations, from Obama to Trump and even the early Biden administration,\u201d Carney said. \u201cHowever, once <em>Roe<\/em> was overturned, pro-lifers across the nation, including Mark Houck, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-to-sign-national-security-package-bill-on-wednesday-sending-billions-in-aid-to-ukraine-and-israel\/\" title=\"Biden will sign National Security bill, sending aid to Ukraine and Israel\">faced unprecedented attacks<\/a> and targeting from the DOJ.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But after the Supreme Court\u2019s overturning of <em>Roe, <\/em>Carney said 40 Days for Life started to receive \u201cat times\u201d one to two targeted inquiries by the FBI against law-abiding volunteers. Once the group filed a Notice of Claim in November making the DOJ aware of their litigation plans against the federal government, Carney said \u201cessentially all harassment ceased.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In order to sue the federal government, a person must file a notice of claims before he or she can file the actual lawsuit six months later, which is why Houck\u2019s lawsuit was filed May 20.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/politicians-argue-for-and-against-washington-d-c-statehood\/\" title=\"Politicians argue for and against Washington D.C. statehood\">federal government didn\u2019<\/a>t even bother to respond to the Notice of Claim,\u201d Britton said. With the newly filed lawsuit, the federal government will no longer be able to evade responding to the new suit brought by ILJ.<\/p>\n<p>Last November, the anti-abortion activist\u2019s wife, Ryan-Marie Houck, also filed a separate lawsuit seeking $3.25 million in damages against the DOJ for the \u201csubstantial emotional distress\u201d their family faced during the September raid on their home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the time of the raid, when she was only nine years old, she witnessed SWAT personnel staring her down at the back door \u2026 This memory continues to haunt her to this day,\u201d Ryan-Marie Houck\u2019s family complaint <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2437990\/family-of-anti-abortion-activist-arrested-by-fbi-seeks-3-25-million-in-damages\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"according\">reads<\/a>, referring to the effect of the raid on her daughter.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Houck also announced a bid for Congress in August last year to primary Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) but ultimately lost to the congressman.<\/p>\n<p>Read Houck\u2019s lawsuit against the DOJ:<\/p>\n<p> <a title=\"View 2024 05.20 Complaint on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/735825976\/2024-05-20-Complaint#from_embed\">2024 05.20 Complaint<\/a> by <a title=\"View Kaelan Deese's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/624431598\/Kaelan-Deese#from_embed\">Kaelan Deese<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2022, anti-abortion activist Mark Houck was dramatically arrested at gunpoint following his protests at a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic. The Pennsylvania-based Catholic father, acquitted by a jury in 2023, now seeks to hold the Department of Justice accountable for what he perceives as an unjust arrest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2254057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MixCollage-24-May-2024-04-34-PM-3575-1.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2254056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MixCollage-24-May-2024-04-34-PM-3575-1.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2254056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2254057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2254056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2254056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2254056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}