Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition

BACKGROUND

In 1995, four individual physicians and two clinics that pro- vide medical services, including abortions, to women (collec- tively, “Physicians”) brought suit against American Coalition of Life Activists and 13 others (collectively, “ACLA”) for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (“FACE”), 18 U.S.C. § 248, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-68. The underlying facts giving rise to this long history of litiga- tion are fully described in our en banc opinion, Planned Par- enthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. Am. Coalition of Life Activists, 290 F.3d 1058, 1062-66 (9th Cir. 2002) (en banc) (hereinafter PPCW V).

The jury found for Physicians on all counts and awarded a total of $526,336.14 in compensatory damages under FACE, $108.5 million in punitive damages under FACE and $11.8 million in compensatory damages (after trebling) under RICO. See id. at 1066 n.4. On February 22, 1999, the district court entered judgment against ACLA in the full amount of the jury’s verdict (“Original Judgment”). The Original Judg- ment also provided that “[e]ach plaintiff shall recover the aforementioned damages…