Texas AG Sues Yelp for Deceptively Labeling Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)

On Sept 28, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced a lawsuit against Yelp for using "inaccurate and misleading language" to label Yelp pages for pro-life pregnancy centers. Paxton argues that the labels violated Texas's Deceptive Trade Practice Act.

A press release from Paxton's office reads,

"Yelp’s CEO is entitled to his views on abortion, but he was not entitled to use the Yelp platform to deceptively disparage facilities that counsel pregnant women instead of providing abortions. Yelp appended language to all pregnancy resource center Yelp pages, indicating that those pages 'typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.' That disclaimer is misleading and often untrue because pregnancy resource centers frequently do provide medical services with licensed medical professionals onsite."

Yelp removed the misleading labels after Paxton requested the company to do so earlier this year, but Paxton's lawsuit argues that Yelp "remains liable for penalties and other relief for the duration of its unlawful behavior." The lawsuit seeks an enjoining order preventing Yelp from taking similar actions in the future. It also seeks civil penalties and monetary damages.

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