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Texas Lawsuit Invokes HB 7 Against California Doctor in First Private Test of Abortion-Pill Ban

An amended Galveston filing seeks injunctions with six-figure penalties, setting up a clash with California's shield law.

A pro-choice billboard along Interstate 10 outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico on Aug. 8, 2022,
A patient prepares to take Mifepristone, the first medication in a medical abortion, at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
A Texas law banning the making and distribution of abortion medication in the state is at the heart of a federal lawsuit against a Bay Area doctor.
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Overview

  • In a Sunday filing in federal court in Galveston, Jerry Rodriguez added HB 7 claims against Dr. Remy Coeytaux in what advocates call the first private suit under the new statute.
  • The complaint seeks to stop any mailing of abortion medication into Texas and to recover at least $100,000 per established violation after HB 7 took effect on Dec. 4, 2025.
  • Rodriguez is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, who helped devise Texas’ SB 8 model, while the Center for Reproductive Rights defends Coeytaux.
  • The case positions Texas’ private-enforcement regime against California’s shield protections, following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s refusal to extradite Coeytaux to Louisiana.
  • Allegations reference abortions in September 2024 and January 2025, with additional claims including wrongful death and an effort to block any shield‑law countersuit.