Mother & Unborn Baby Care of North Texas, Inc. v. State

749 S.W.2d 533, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1024, 1988 WL 45750
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 30, 1988
Docket2-86-266-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 749 S.W.2d 533 (Mother & Unborn Baby Care of North Texas, Inc. v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mother & Unborn Baby Care of North Texas, Inc. v. State, 749 S.W.2d 533, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1024, 1988 WL 45750 (Tex. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinions

OPINION

LATTIMORE, Justice.

Appellants, Mother & Unborn Baby Care of North Texas, Inc. (“Center”) and Charles J. Pelletier, II (“Pelletier”), brings this appeal from a judgment enjoining certain conduct found in violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices — Consumer Protection Act (“DTPA”); the court further mandated disclosure in advertising, assessed civil penalties for violations of the DTPA and further violation of a court-ordered temporary injunction, and awarded attorney’s fees to the State. See TEX.BUS. & COM.CODE ANN. secs. 17.41-17.50 (Vernon 1987).

Appellants bring ten points of error alleging: improper interpretation and application of the DTPA; lack of reasonable notice; violation of their right to freedom of speech, press and religion; an inalienable right to disseminate information and, improper exclusion of evidence or, in the alternative, insufficiency of evidence to assess penalties against appellant, Charles Pelletier, II.

The judgment is affirmed.

The present case deals with the propriety of methods of advertising by appellants.

Evidence adduced at trial showed the following approximate sequence of events: a large number of women found appellants’ advertisement within the Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages (“Yellow Pages"); believing it to be an abortion clinic, the women contacted the Center requesting an abortion. Through different means, either asking different questions or giving evasive answers, these women were led to believe that the Center was an abortion clinic, and made an appointment. Upon their arrival, the women gave personal medical information to appellants’ volunteers by filling out a medical information card. They then gave appellants urine samples to obtain free pregnancy tests, as advertised. Upon being told, both over the phone and in person, the test would take 30 minutes, the women expected to wait for the results. While waiting they were led into another room by themselves whereupon they were shown a slide show and a videotape showing graphic pictures pertaining to abortion procedures. It was generally not until the slide/video presentation was shown that the women began to suspect they were not in an abortion clinic. After the presentations, counselors including Pelletier came into the room to attempt to persuade the women against having an abortion. This was later followed up by notes and phone calls from the Center’s personnel.

[537]*537Appellants advertised in the Yellow Pages under the headings “Abortion Information & Services,” and “Clinics — Medical.” Appellants are pro-life oriented. There is contradictory evidence as to whether appellants attempted to deceive the telephone company regarding whether they actually performed abortions. In 1986, the Yellow Pages refused to allow appellants to further advertise under the above two headings, and the listing was moved to “Abortion Alternatives”; there is conflicting testimony pertaining to the placement of the 1986 advertisement which actually appears under two columns of “Abortion Services,” and is twice the size of the previous advertisements. There is extensive evidence concerning a manual from the Pearson Foundation entitled, “How to Start and Operate Your Own Pro-Life Outreach Crisis Pregnancy Center,” which is the primary basis of the principles upon which appellants’ corporation is founded. There is conflicting evidence as to the evasive methods in which the manual and the appellants promote their purposes by attracting women seeking an abortion into appellants’ “clinic”; this includes answering phone calls with evasive answers so as to imply that appellants performed abortions. The manual suggested, and appellants followed, the procedure of incorporating under the name of Mother & Unborn Baby Care of North Texas, Inc., but operated under the name Problem Pregnancy Center, d/b/a Pregnancy Problem Center, d/b/a Abortion Action Affiliates Problem Pregnancy Center. The corporate name does not appear in the Center’s advertisements or on its building. Evidence is contradictory as to whether this was purposefully done to deceive potential clients into coming to the Center seeking an abortion.

Appellants’ first point of error attacks the applicability of the DTPA to appellants’ conduct. Section 17.46 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code provides the following:

(a) False, misleading, or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce are hereby declared unlawful and are subject to action by the consumer protection division under Sections 17.47,17.58,17.60, and 17.61 of this code.

TEX.BUS. & COM.CODE ANN. sec. 17.46 (Vernon 1987). Definitions pertinent to appellants’ contentions are within section 17-45 of the code:

(1) “Goods” means tangible chattels or real property purchased or leased for use.
(2) “Services” means work, labor, or service purchased or leased for use, including services furnished in connection with the sale or repair of goods.
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(4) “Consumer” means an individual, partnership, corporation, this state, or a subdivision or agency of this state who seeks or acquires by purchase or lease, any goods or services, except that the term does not include a business consumer that has assets of $25 million or more, or that is owned or controlled by a corporation or entity with assets of $25 million or more.
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(6) “Trade” and “commerce” mean the advertising, offering for sale, sale, lease, or distribution of any good or service, of any property, tangible or intangible, real, personal, or mixed, and any other article, commodity, or thing of value, wherever situated, and shall include any trade or commerce directly or indirectly affecting the people of this state.

TEX.BUS. & COM.CODE ANN. sec. 17.-45(1), (2), (4), and (6) (Vernon 1987).

Appellants first argue that their conduct does not constitute trade or commerce because they do not actually sell abortions and medical services, and therefore the DTPA does not apply.

Considering appellants’ contentions, we first look to the definitions of “trade” and “commerce,” which encompasses “advertising, offering for sale ... or distribution of any good or service ... or thing of value....” TEX.BUS. & COM.CODE ANN. sec. 17.45(6) (Vernon 1987). By Pelletier’s own admission, advertising was sought and obtained with Southwestern Bell, the objective of which being to draw in women seeking or considering an abortion. Exhibits of [538]*538the actual advertising by appellants from 1984 through 1987 are within the record.

Appellants distributed goods in the way of pamphlets. They also distributed services in the way of pregnancy testing, antiabortion counseling, arrangements of financial assistance, aid in adoption procedures, and help in obtaining legal aid.

Appellants next contend that they do not sell any goods or services, and therefore the DTPA does not apply to their activities. We disagree.

It is immaterial whether appellants provided a service in exchange for money; the statute as a whole supports the conclusion that transfer of valuable consideration is not necessary. See Martin v. Lou Poliquin Enterprises, Inc., 696 S.W.2d 180, 184 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1985, writ ref’d n.r.e.), overruling Bancroft v. Southwestern Bell Tel. Co.,

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Mother & Unborn Baby Care of North Texas, Inc. v. State
749 S.W.2d 533 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)

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749 S.W.2d 533, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1024, 1988 WL 45750, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mother-unborn-baby-care-of-north-texas-inc-v-state-texapp-1988.