AG Curtis Hill resolves case involving misleading claims by abortion clinic

BREAKING: The Office of Attorney General Curtis Hill released this statement earlier today: 

Attorney General Curtis Hill announced today he has resolved a case involving a Florida-based company that falsely claimed it operated abortion clinics in Indiana.

Orlando Women’s Center and its owner, Dr. James Pendergraft, operate multiple Florida abortion clinics. On their website, Orlando Women’s Center made multiple misleading posts asserting the company operates abortion clinic locations in various Indiana cities. These actions, Attorney General Hill alleged, constitute violations of the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.

“Contrary to their claims,” Attorney General Hill said, “Orlando Women’s Center does not operate any abortion clinics in Indiana. Further, this company has never obtained any abortion clinic licenses in Indiana. Abortion providers must always be held accountable when they attempt to twist the truth in the process of selling their services to consumers.”

This month, Orlando Women’s Center entered into an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC) with the Office of the Attorney General requiring the company to immediately cease all advertising that references Indiana abortion clinic locations purportedly operated by the center.

The AVC also permanently prohibits the center and Dr. Pendergraft from claiming an affiliation with any Indiana abortion clinics unless they actually have such an affiliation.

Under Indiana law, any freestanding entity that provides abortion procedures must be licensed by the Indiana State Department of Health.  As part of the licensing process, the Indiana State Department of Health continually monitors the quality of health care provided by the clinic.

The Consumer Protection Division of the Indiana Attorney General’s Office investigates and enforces multiple laws, including the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, which protect Indiana consumers. Individuals subjected to deceptive advertisements may file consumer complaints at in.gov/attorneygeneral/ or call the Office of the Attorney General at 1-800-382-5516.

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