Planned Parenthood League of Mass., Inc. v. Bell, 522 US 819 - Supreme Court 1997

Planned Parenthood could bring public nuisance action on behalf of patients who sustained special injury in nature of interference with right to obtain abortion

However, a private plaintiff will be allowed to maintain a public nuisance action where that plaintiff can "show that the public nuisance has caused some special injury of a direct and substantial character other than that which the general public shares."

In her report, the special master found that, by virtue of their organizational functions, plaintiffs CPCS and HCLJ have proper representative standing for persons (including criminal defendants) whose rights are implicated by the issues underlying the petition.

Nonetheless, a plaintiff may have standing to assert the rights of a third party under jus tertii standing.

It is clear that the independent review standard applies where the lower court's decision upheld a limit on expressive activity.

—the Supreme Judicial Court upheld an injunction against a woman who (in violation of prior injunctions to which she was subject) physically blocked and screamed at patients in the street and posed as a facility escort.

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