CLAYTON, Mo. (CN) - A gynecology office and doctor say the Holy Spirit Catholic Church and the Greater St. Louis Pregnancy Resource Centers defamed them as killers in "an abortion mill." Womenscare Gynecology and Dr. Allen Palmer also seek an injunction to stop the groups from meeting on their property on Wednesdays and Fridays, where they allegedly block the driveway and harass women who enter the building, whether they are going to the doctor's office or not.
Womenscare says Holy Spirit published materials calling its office "an abortion mill" and calling Palmer an "abortionist who has been killing unborn babies there for thirty years."
The plaintiffs say Holy Spirit and the Pregnancy Resource Centers aka Thrive St. Louis intentionally park in parking spaces intended for patients and have refused requests to limit their protests to public property and not block the entrance to the parking lot.
The plaintiffs say that all of their clients are harassed by the defendants, though most of the services they provide are not abortion-related. And they say the defendants harass clients of the tenants in the building, which include a dentist, chiropractor, attorney, psychiatrist, family practitioner and a computer expert.
"The Bridgeton Police have been contacted, on more than a few occasions, but state that without an appropriate court order granting injunctive relief, they will not get involved and request the individuals who are trespassing to leave the premises," the complaint states.
The plaintiffs seek an injunction actual damages and at least $250,000 in punitive damages for defamation. They are represented in St. Louis County Court by David Bender.
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