Settlement Reached, Ending Legal Battle
A Texas man, Marcus Silva, has dropped his lawsuit against three women he accused of helping his ex-wife obtain abortion pills, ending a case that had drawn national attention. Court documents filed this week show that both sides reached a settlement, avoiding a trial that could have tested the legal argument that their actions constituted wrongful death.
The lawsuit, filed in 2022, claimed that the women had assisted Silva’s ex-wife, Brittni Silva, in obtaining abortion pills, which he argued was akin to aiding a murder under Texas law. Silva was seeking $1 million in damages.
Terms of the Settlement
The terms of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed, and the judge has yet to sign off on the agreement. However, a spokesperson for the defendants indicated that no financial compensation was involved in the settlement.
“While we are grateful that this fraudulent case is finally over, we are angry for ourselves and others who have been terrorized for the simple act of supporting a friend who is facing abuse,” said Jackie Noyola, one of the defendants. “No one should ever have to fear punishment, criminalization, or a lengthy court battle for helping someone they care about.”
Countersuit Dropped
Two of the women, Noyola and Amy Carpenter, had countersued Silva for invasion of privacy, claiming he illegally accessed his ex-wife’s phone without consent. They dropped their countersuit following the settlement.
“This case was about using the legal system to harass us for helping our friend and scare others out of doing the same,” Carpenter said. “But the claims were dropped because they had nothing. We did nothing wrong, and we would do it all again.”
Abortion Rights Advocates Concerned
Abortion rights advocates feared that the lawsuit could create a chilling effect, opening new legal avenues for people to be sued for assisting others in obtaining abortions, especially in states with stringent restrictions like Texas.
Silva was represented by Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general who helped draft Texas’s controversial Senate Bill 8, which bans most abortions and allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps facilitate an abortion.
Allegations of Harassment and Abuse
In a countersuit, the defendants claimed that Marcus Silva was a “serial emotional abuser” seeking revenge through legal means. They also accused him of illegally accessing Brittni Silva’s phone, which led to his discovery of text messages discussing the abortion medication.
Earlier this year, the Texas Supreme Court upheld a decision blocking Silva’s attempt to collect evidence from his ex-wife for the wrongful death lawsuit. The court’s justices criticized Silva in their ruling, with two conservative justices stating that Silva had engaged in “disgracefully vicious harassment” of his ex-wife.
