Clinic Cleared After Underage Girl’s Abortion

INDIANAPOLIS (CN) - An Indiana appeals court cleared Planned Parenthood of all wrongdoing in a case where a teenager used her friend's ID to get an abortion.

Angelique Lockett, who was 17 years old at the time, used an older friend's state-issued identification and Medicaid cards to obtain an abortion without her mother's consent, according to the 33-page ruling.

Lockett was assisted by her boyfriend's mother, Cathy McGee, who allegedly posed as the girl's mother and paid for the procedure.

Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit that provides reproductive and child health services, and has over 700 locations throughout the country. Some centers, like the one visited by Lockett in Merrillville, Ind., also perform abortion services.

The Locketts sued Planned Parenthood for negligence, assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress, claiming the organization should have obtained consent from the mother before performing the abortion.

The suit was originally filed in Lake County, Ind. Superior Court, but Judge William Davis found that Lockett's mother had no standing to sue on her daughter's behalf and he dismissed the case. The Locketts appealed.

An Indiana Court of Appeals three-judge panel, led by Judge Mark Bailey, affirmed the dismissal Monday, citing the then-teenager's misrepresentations as a prevailing factor.

"The designated evidence shows that Angelique not only withheld vital information, but engaged in a course of conduct designed to deceive Planned Parenthood," Bailey wrote. "At no time did Angelique reveal to anyone at Planned Parenthood her actually identity or the true nature of her relationship with McGee."

The ruling comes only a few weeks after the state finished an investigation that found all Indiana Planned Parenthood facilities were in compliance with state laws.

While the Locketts' case against Planned Parenthood hit a wall, the appeals court ruling reversed the dismissal of their claims against McGee.

McGee was listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, but was not the focus of the appeal. Regardless, the appeals court found that she was never properly served with court documents and that the lower court's dismissal of charges against her was premature.

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