[2] In 1986, the National Organization for Women (NOW) filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court against various anti-abortion groups and individuals including the Pro-Life Action Network (PLAN) and Scheidler.
The case was then brought to the Court of Appeals where it was determined that a non-profit organization could be considered a racketeering enterprise.
[3] A trial began in 1998 to determine whether the allegations against Scheidler and PLAN were true and if they were violations of RICO and the Hobbs Act (this was added as a predicate).
It was the role of NOW to prove that there had been a national effort by PLAN to prevent women from accessing abortion clinics through violence or the threat thereof.
The court awarded monetary compensation to NOW, and also ruled that PLAN was forbidden to interfere with NOW's right to provide abortion services.