Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Thursday against Yelp for allegedly discriminating against pro-life pregnancy centers, according to court documents.
Yelp placed a label on pregnancy centers following the Dobbs decision in 2022 stating that these clinics “typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite,” prompting Paxton to threaten legal action against the company in February, according to the lawsuit. Yelp eventually changed its label, but Paxton sued the company for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which prohibits “false or misleading and deceptive business practices” in trade or commerce. (RELATED: Ken Paxton Acquitted In Impeachment Trial)
“Yelp cannot mislead and deceive the public simply because the company disagrees with our state’s abortion laws,” Paxton said in a press release. “Major companies cannot abuse their platforms and influence to control consumers’ behavior, especially on sensitive health issues like pregnancy and abortion.”
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 01: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court on November 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a challenge to the controversial Texas abortion law which bans abortions after 6 weeks. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Yelp filed its own lawsuit against Texas on Sept. 27, alleging that Paxton had sent a letter to inform the company of a notice to file suit within the next seven days, according to its lawsuit. Yelp demanded that the court acknowledge its labels are “accurate” and that Paxton is attempting to “chill” the company’s First Amendment rights.
Yelp explained that, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, the company was “recommitted” making sure their labels included “accurate, useful, and trustworthy information about reproductive health services,” and added a “Consumer Notice” for crisis pregnancy centers, according to the lawsuit.
“Then, even after certain pregnancy resource centers notified Yelp of the notice’s falsehoods, Yelp refused to remove the misleading disclaimer for several months, likely diverting consumers from seeking pregnancy resource centers’ services in favor of other facilities that lacked the misleading disclosure,” Paxton’s lawsuit reads. “Yelp’s actions violated Texas law. Although Yelp appears to have eliminated this misleading disclaimer from pregnancy resource centers’ Yelp pages, Yelp remains liable for penalties and other relief for the duration of its unlawful behavior.”
Paxton asked the court to “award money damages and restitution of monies for pregnancy resource centers” and that Yelp pay the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for violating civil law. Yelp also requested in its own lawsuit that the court grant a favorable judgment and “award Yelp its reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees.”
Yelp and Paxton’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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