Galveston man sues California doctor under new Texas law allowing lawsuits over abortion pills

(Texas Tribune) A Galveston County man has filed a lawsuit against a California doctor he accuses of providing abortion-inducing pills to his partner, leveraging for the first time a new Texas law that allows private citizens to sue abortion providers for up to $100,000.

In July, Jerry Rodriguez filed the original lawsuit that accused Dr. Remy Coeytaux of providing his girlfriend with abortion pills at the direction of her ex-husband.

The lawsuit alleges the woman’s ex-husband ordered the abortion pills from Coeytaux. Subsequently, Rodriguez’ girlfriend took the pills and terminated a pregnancy on Sept.19, 2024 and another pregnancy in January 2025. Rodriguez claims in the lawsuit that he was the father in those pregnancies.

On Sunday, Rodriguez, through his lawyer Jonathan Mitchell, who helped design Texas’ abortion ban, updated the lawsuit, largely stating the same allegations against Coeytaux. However, this time, Mitchell included House Bill 7 as an additional tool to compel Coeytaux to pay $75,000 in minimum damages, plus other fees, Rodriguez is asking for and to stop prescribing or providing abortion-inducing drugs in Texas. ....................(more)

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/02/texas-california-abortion-pill-lawsuit-bounty-hunter-law-hb-7/