Topeka ? Attorney General Paul Morrison wants to join a lawsuit filed against his predecessor by the operator of an abortion clinic.

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri filed the lawsuit in June with the Kansas Supreme Court. The group’s target is former Attorney General Phill Kline, who’s now the Johnson County district attorney. Planned Parenthood’s clinic is in Overland Park, within Kline’s jurisdiction.

Morrison has warned Planned Parenthood that Kline has patient records from the clinic that he obtained while attorney general. Morrison also has said his review of Kline’s evidence showed no wrongdoing by the clinic or its doctors.

Morrison filed his request to intervene Wednesday. Like other documents in the case, the court has closed it to public scrutiny, although a list of what’s been filed remains public. Spokeswoman Ashley Anstaett declined to discuss the details of Morrison’s request.

“It’s under seal, so I don’t think I can talk about it,” she said Friday.

One possible explanation for recent events is that Planned Parenthood is trying to force Kline to return patients’ records and Morrison believes the records should be returned because his investigation is done.

Kline also declined comment Friday. Planned Parenthood’s attorney, Pedro Irigonegaray, of Topeka, didn’t immediately return a telephone message left at his office.

Morrison’s filing was the latest event in a long legal battle involving him, Kline and abortion providers over their patients’ records.

Kline, an anti-abortion Republican elected attorney general in 2002, began investigating two clinics in 2003. They were Planned Parenthood and one operated in Wichita by Dr. George Tiller.

In October, while running for re-election, Kline obtained edited copies of 90 patient records. But he lost the attorney general’s race to Morrison, an abortion-rights Democrat.

Morrison was Johnson County district attorney at the time. His victory created a vacancy in the county office. Morrison had switched parties to challenge Kline, and under state law, Republicans could fill the county job. They chose Kline in December.

In January, three days before leaving office, Kline forwarded Planned Parenthood patient records to the Johnson County district attorney’s office.

On June 6, Planned Parenthood filed its lawsuit, asking that the justices force Kline to do his duty. It’s not clear what the specific request is.

Three weeks later, Morrison sent Irigonegaray a letter saying that his review of the evidence showed no wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood. In that letter, Morrison also said Kline had Planned Parenthood records.

Kline has said he won’t run for a full term as district attorney in 2008. The legal dispute could delay or prevent him from renewing an investigation of the clinic.