A Richmond City judge denied on Friday a conservative legal group’s effort to block the city’s sale of land to Planned Parenthood.
“The courts are not a forum for every aggrieved taxpayer.” That’s what Richmond Circuit Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland said Friday afternoon after denying the Founding Freedoms Law Center’s effort to block the sale of a dilapidated city building to the national abortion provider.
The unsolicited bid, approved unanimously by Richmond City Council in July, would sell a plot of land to Planned Parenthood for $10. In exchange they’ve promised to spend $6 million to demolish the existing building and replace it with a new clinic that would serve local low-income residents.
Founding Freedoms, the legal arm of Family Foundation of Virginia, represented psychiatrist Sheila Furey in claims that she was denied the right to also bid on the project. And while she claimed she had standing to sue as a local taxpayer, the Judge pointed to Supreme Court of Virginia precedent which found otherwise.
Founding Freedoms attorney Josh Hetzler expressed disappointment after the ruling
“If the court's ruling today is correct, then the City of Richmond is incentivized to do virtually anything it wants regardless of the law without accountability or legal recourse,” Hetzler said.
But Judge Thorne-Begland did offer a remedy for such complaints, colloquially suggesting from the bench Furey could quote “vote the bums out.”
In an audio message sent to Radio IQ, Rae Pickett with the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood praised the ruling.
"VLPP is very much looking forward to being able to serve the Northside Richmond community with this new health center," Pickett said.
Despite finding a lack of standing, the judge did offer the chance for Furey to try and continue the case. A future court date has not yet been set.
