Lawsuit accuses Attleboro business of posing as health clinic, violating federal wire tap act
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — An Attleboro business is being accused of trying to interfere with women seeking health care services at a clinic that provides abortions.
The federal lawsuit, filed by Four Women Health Services with U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, accuses Attleboro Women's Health Center (AWHC) of using "deception, and technological attacks to redirect patients from Four Women to AWHC."
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The lawsuit claims that AWHC has engaged in false advertising and used "advanced technological methods" to target Four Women and their patients.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH), AWHC is not a licensed medical facility; however, Four Women is a licensed clinic.
In Massachusetts, clinics that provide medical services including diagnosing pregnancies and performing ultrasounds or other procedures must be licensed.
The lawsuit alleges that AWHC's name and website are designed to make women believe the center is a licensed medical provider.
A photo of AWHC's website. AWHC is not a licensed medical facility. In Massachusetts, clinics that provide medical services including diagnosing pregnancies and performing ultrasounds or other procedures must be licensed. AWHC is accused of using "false advertising" in a lawsuit filed by Four Women Health Services.
On its website, AWHC lists pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, pregnancy consultation and STD testing under a tab labeled "Services+." Users who click on the ultrasound option are directed to a page that says, "If you received a positive pregnancy test result at Attleboro Women’s Health Center, your next step is to have a free ultrasound by one of our Registered Medical Diagnostic Ultrasonographers." There are multiple buttons and a form to make an appointment.
According to the lawsuit, multiple women have mistakenly gone to AWHC instead of Four Women for an appointment. The women in the lawsuit were reportedly not told they were in the wrong place until after AWHC had copied the women's identification.
The lawsuit claims AWHC also violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Federal Wiretap Act by intercepting communications between Four Women and their patients.
A number of women in the lawsuit were messaging with Four Women to schedule appointments for an abortion were contacted within minutes by AWHC.
In one case, a woman was electronically messaging Four Women to schedule an appointment. The lawsuit says the patient told Four Women that someone from their office had called her and scheduled an appointment for Thursday morning. Four Women had not called the patient and the clinic does not see patients on Thursday mornings.
That Thursday morning, the woman received a text message confirming her appointment from AWHC. Prior to communicating with Four Women, the patient had never communicated with AWHC before.
A photo of the communications between Four Women and a patient. Four Women claims AWHC intercepted Four Women's communications with the patient as they do not see patients on Thursday mornings.
According to the lawsuit, Four Women believes that AWHC has prevented other women from accessing reproductive health care as women who have scheduled appointments regularly cancel or do not show up for their appointments.
The lawsuit demands a jury trial and requests injunctions to stop AWHC from providing ultrasounds, accessing Four Women's computer system, interfering with patient communications, and promoting itself as a team of board-certified doctors and nurses. The lawsuit also requests that Four Women be awarded statutory damages.
A DPH spokesperson said, "the Department is evaluating the status of the entity named in the lawsuit." The DPH can issue cease and desist letters to facilities that are not licensed and are offering medical services, but can also offer exemptions.
12 News reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding the allegations. A spokesperson said, "in keeping with our standard practice, the FBI cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation."
12 News also reached out to AWHC who declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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The video in the player above was aired on September 6, 2024.
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