Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against review site Yelp for violating Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit comes after Yelp added misleading language to listings of pro-life pregnancy centers in Texas, while not applying the same notices to Planned Parenthood facilities that provide abortions. Yelp had previously announced that it would issue consumer notices to crisis pregnancy center profiles, informing users that these centers typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals on-site. Paxton argues that Yelp’s actions amount to discrimination and misleading the public.
Yelp’s CEO, Jeremy Stoppelman, had called for action in response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision, which clarified that the Constitution does not protect access to abortion. Stoppelman advocated for business leaders to use their platforms to support abortion. However, Paxton asserts that Yelp cannot mislead and deceive the public based on its disagreement with Texas’ abortion laws. The lawsuit alleges that Yelp appended inaccurate and misleading language to pregnancy resource center listings on its app and website, in violation of Texas laws on deceptive trade practices.
Earlier this year, 24 state attorneys general sent a letter to Yelp expressing opposition to the company’s practice of providing discriminatory consumer notices to crisis pregnancy centers. The attorneys general argue that Yelp’s actions unfairly target these centers while not applying the same notices to abortion providers. The lawsuit filed by Paxton seeks to address these concerns and hold Yelp accountable for misleading the public and engaging in discriminatory practices.