The future of Planned Parenthood’s operations in Texas rests in the hands of the Trump-appointed, anti-abortion U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who held a hearing Tuesday in regard to a lawsuit that suspended Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and an anonymous whistleblower filed last year alleging Planned Parenthood defrauded the state’s Medicaid program of at least $10 million, though the suit could end up costing Planned Parenthood more than $1.8 billion if the judge rules against it.
Paxton and an unnamed relator identified only as Alex Doe are suing Planned Parenthood—both the national outlet and Texas affiliates—for at least $10 million to repay the money the organization received in government reimbursements during a time “when Planned Parenthood knew or should have known it was not a qualified Texas Medicaid provider by operation of Texas law,” the lawsuit claims.
The relator, a whistleblower who can bring public lawsuits on behalf of the government and is entitled to 20% of money awarded, is claiming that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates violated the False Claims Act, the Texas Medicaid Fraud Protection Act and the Louisiana Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law.
