The New York Attorney General's Office is asking a federal judge to hold the militant anti-abortion group Red Rose Rescue in contempt for what it says are multiple attempts to interfere with patient access to Planned Parenthood clinics in New York City.
In a legal filing Tuesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Brianna Mangat of following and proselytizing to patients attempting to enter these clinics, despite a federal judge's injunction prohibiting Red Rose Rescue from frustrating access to reproductive health facilities.
James says Mangat uses an alias, Bernadette Patel, to conduct anti-abortion operations. Online, Patel is identified as a member of Red Rose Rescue.
Mangat is also accused of wearing a pink vest, similar to those worn by Planned Parenthood volunteers, in order to confuse patients.
The Attorney General is seeking the imposition of $2,000 in civil penalties, plus attorneys fees, for Mangat's alleged conduct. However, they said they would refund the penalties if Red Rose Rescue abides by the injunction for one year.
"Red Rose Rescue will stop at nothing to interfere with anyone seeking or providing reproductive health care," James said in a press release. "If Red Rose Rescue and its members want to flagrantly disregard a court order, then they must also be prepared to face the consequences. Too many New Yorkers have suffered at the hands of this hateful group – it is time they be held accountable for their blatant disregard of our laws, our courts, and our bodily autonomy."
In response to a request for comment, Monica Miller, whom James has identified as the director of Red Rose Rescue, called the attorney general's legal action "one of the most bogus lawsuits ever." Miller claimed that Mangat was "well within her First Amendment rights" to counsel women on the sidewalk as they entered Planned Parenthood. Because Mangat did not actually enter or obstruct any clinics, she didn't violate the injunction, Miller argued.
Further, Miller claimed that Mangat was acting independently of Red Rose Rescue and is not even a member of the group because it "is not a formal group" and therefore "has no members."
AG James has lawsuit vs. Red Rose Rescue
The request for sanctions comes as part of a lawsuit James has filed against the group in federal court, over alleged violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a federal law that protects access to reproductive health care facilities.
In December, Judge Kenneth Karas issued the preliminary injunction, noting that James is "likely to succeed" in her argument, that Red Rose Rescue violated federal law, once the case is more fully litigated.
In her lawsuit, James drew attention to a 2021 incident where Red Rose Rescue led an "invasion" of All Women’s Health & Medical Services in White Plains. Red Rose Rescue members held a sit-in in the clinic's waiting room. Three men were later tried on criminal trespass charges and found guilty.
James says that Mangat joined the sit-in at All Women's Health, but "did not remain inside the clinic to be arrested."
Asher Stockler is a reporter for the USA Today Network New York. You can send him an email at astockler@lohud.com . Reach him securely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com .
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: AG James seeks fines against anti-abortion group for allegedly interfering with clinics
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