A Bucks County man has reached a $1.1 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice following his acquittal on federal charges related to anti-abortion activity outside a Philadelphia clinic.
Mark Houck, of Kintnersville, according to PhillyBurbs, filed a civil lawsuit in 2023 alleging the DOJ engaged in a “malicious” prosecution intended to deter his activism. He had been charged with two counts of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act before being found not guilty by a federal jury in January 2023, per the report.
The charges stemmed from a 2021 incident outside Planned Parenthood’s Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center in Center City, where Houck was distributing literature. According to the report, court testimony presented conflicting accounts, with Houck stating he was protecting his then-12-year-old son from a clinic escort he described as aggressive, while the escort denied using vulgar language or engaging the child.
Houck admitted to shoving the escort during the encounter. Philadelphia prosecutors declined to pursue the case, but federal authorities later filed charges, according to the article.
Houck was arrested in September 2022 after federal agents executed an early morning operation at his home while his family was present.
He was later tried in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, where a jury acquitted him of all charges. In his lawsuit, Houck alleged the arrest involved excessive force and caused emotional distress to his family.
He declined comment to PhillyBurbs on the settlement.
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