Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison (D) on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene in the legal dispute between Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri's Overland Park, Kan., clinic Comprehensive Health and former state Attorney General Phill Kline (R), the AP/Topeka Capital-Journal reports (AP/Topeka Capital-Journal, 7/20).

Kline in 2004 subpoenaed the records of 90 women and girls who in 2003 underwent late-term abortions at Comprehensive Health or Women's Health Care Services in Wichita, Kan., saying there is probable cause that each record contains evidence of a felony. The state Supreme Court in February 2006 ruled that Kline can seek access to the records but that he must return to Shawnee County, Kan., District Court Judge Richard Anderson and present his reasons for seeking the subpoenas. Anderson turned over the records to Kline's office in November 2006 after removing information that would identify individuals.

Morrison -- who defeated Kline in the November 2006 election -- last month in a letter to PPKMM attorney Pedro Irigonegaray wrote that he has ended the investigation of Comprehensive Health. Morrison added that the attorney general's office "found no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing" by the clinic. Morrison in the letter also said that Kline forwarded copies of the medical records from PPKMM patients to the Johnson County, Kan., district attorney's office on Jan. 5 -- three days before he left the state attorney general's office. Kline, who replaced Morrison as Johnson County district attorney, retains copies of the records, according to Morrison's letter.

PPKMM CEO Peter Brownlie earlier this month confirmed that the clinic on June 6 filed a petition with the state Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus against Kline, and the court on June 22 told Kline he had until July 12 to respond (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/9). The state Supreme Court has sealed Morrison's filing, along with records in the petition, the Kansas City Star reports. All the parties involved declined to comment (Kansas City Star, 7/19).