Charges Dropped Against Pro-Life Counselor At Chicago Abortion Clinic

State Prosecutor David Neal has dropped the criminal charges of battery in Cook County Criminal Court that had been brought against pro-life sidewalk counselor Warren Dorman by abortion clinic escort Lindsay Budzynski. Ms. Budzynski had accused Mr. Dorman of criminal battery after he had briefly bumped into her outside Family Planning Associates (Albany) abortion clinic in Chicago.

“We are very glad that the prosecutor recognized that this was a simple accident and not a criminal battery like the abortion clinic escort had claimed,” said Corrina Konczal, Associate Counsel of the Thomas More Society. “This case was simply an attempt to scare away pro-life sidewalk counselors from offering help to women outside the abortion clinic. Today’s victory shows that scare tactics will not work to shut down peaceful pro-lifers like Mr. Dorman.

Mr. Dorman has been praying and peacefully offering sidewalk counseling outside of Family Planning Associates (Albany) in Chicago—a late term abortion clinic—for over 20 years without incident. However, the morning of Saturday, December 27, 2014, Mr. Dorman handed literature to a couple that was leaving the clinic. Upon the urging of abortion clinic escort Lindsay Budzynski, the couple threw the literature down. Mr. Dorman tried to pick it up, but Ms. Budzynski grabbed it first. As he asked her to return his property, he briefly bumped into her. Ms. Budzynski went inside the clinic, where clinic manager Kathleen Fitch called the police to have Mr. Dorman arrested for criminal battery.

Thomas More Society attorneys Corrina Konczal and Peter Breen uncovered multiple problems with Ms. Budzynski’s criminal charges against Mr. Dorman, including:

• The abortion clinic destroyed the surveillance camera tapes from the day of the incident, despite the fact that Thomas More Society had promptly sent the clinic staff two preservation letters, informing them that they must keep this vital information to show precisely what happened.
• Rather than calling 911 immediately herself, Ms. Budzynski discussed the matter with the manager, Kathleen Fitch. Ms. Fitch called the police, alleging that Mr. Dorman had put his arms around Ms. Budzynski. The charges were so weak that the 911 operator asked whether Ms. Budzynski even wanted to press charges.
• The officer called to the scene to arrest Mr. Dorman commented on his police radio that it didn’t sound like a battery—a statement he repeated to Mr. Dorman later that day.

In response to these inconsistencies and the lack of proof of any actual battery, the Prosecutor informed the Court and Mr. Dorman that the State would not be taking the case to trial. The Judge informed Mr. Dorman that he was free of the charges.

“I’m relieved to be cleared of these false criminal charges, and I’m thrilled to have my good reputation restored,” said Warren Dorman. “I’ve never stopped going to the clinic on Saturday mornings, but now I look forward to going back to pray and sidewalk counsel without the threat of criminal charges hanging over my head. I’m grateful to the Thomas More Society for standing by me and defending my innocence throughout this process.”