The law is made to protect the public. Part of this includes making sure that consumers and the public are not deceived in the marketplace. In some cases, making the mistake of not following these rules may result in being charged with federal crimes in Texas. This appears to be what is happening with television’s Robert Lindsey Duncan.
Duncan has made appearances on various television shows such as “The View,” usually promoting nutritional products. The dispute surrounds Duncan’s claim that he is a naturopathic doctor. This type of medical doctor is not recognized under state law; therefore, the Texas Attorney General is arguing that Duncan is misleading the public by claiming to be a medical doctor on television.
The lawsuit states that the defendant misleads the public into thinking that he is giving out health advice; however, the state claims that this purported advice is not grounded on what it considers a sufficient educational background. Duncan received his doctorate from Clayton College of Natural Health. However, the Attorney General says that particular school — a distance-learning institution — is on a list of schools from which degrees are now considered illegal to claim.
On the other hand, the defendant has a right to defend himself against the charges of federal crimes in a court of law in Texas. A defendant is always assumed innocent until proved guilty in the eyes of the court. Therefore, a good legal defense strategy can help to prevent the prosecution from being able to prove its case. This can help prevent large monetary fines, which could total up to $1 million in this particular case.
Source: dailyfinance.com, “Texas Charges TV’s ‘Dr. Duncan’ with Being a Total Fraud“, Mitch Lipka, Oct. 16, 2014