N.J. Supreme Court Affirms That Conversion Therapy Is Fraud
sued Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, a.k.a. JONAH, which claimed to be able to turn gay people straight, a practice deemed ineffective and harmful by major medical and mental health organizations.
It alleged the practice was fraudulent, and the suit was the first of its kind, according to SPLC.In 2015, a New Jersey trial court ruled that JONAH had engaged in “unconscionable business practices” and violated the state’s consumer fraud law.
The court imposed a permanent injunction under which JONAH was to cease operation and a settlement agreement under which it was to pay the plaintiffs $3.5 million to cover attorneys’ fees.However, JONAH did not abide by the ruling; it reconstituted under a different name and continued to offer conversion therapy.
In 2019, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. ordered the enforcement of the permanent injunction and settlement agreement.
