PSYCHICS SUED
(Investigator 175, 2017 July)
MISLEADING PSYCHICS SUED
In 1994 Peter Woolcock, Doctor of Philosophy, former president of the
SA Skeptics, and onetime contributor to Investigator, suggested an idea
now being discussed worldwide, namely "Misleading psychics should be
sued…"
A recent Google Search on the phrase "Psychics Sued" found thousands of
results with a link to Investigator
and Dr Woolcock in 16th place.
An article in Investigator
#36 (1994) reprinted from The City
Messenger
of Adelaide, said in part:
DISGRUNTLED clients of
psychics, astrologers or mystics should be able
to sue if damaged by false or misleading information, says a leading SA
sceptic.
SA Skeptics president and philosophy professor Peter
Woolcock said … a
person advertising and making an income from alleged special powers
should be liable to the same regulations governing other businesses …
they should be open to penalties if benefits were not realised…
SEARCH RESULTS
Here are some of the Google search results on "Psychics Sued":
Can You
Sue a Psychic and Win? Recent Rulings on Psychic Ripoffs
https://exemplore.com
Man Who
Gave Psychics $718,000 'Just Got Sucked In'
https://www.nytimes.com/.../lured-in-by-two-manhattan-psychics-to-the-tune-of-718000...
Nov 15, 2015 - Niall Rice, a 33-year-old consultant who paid two
psychics who promised to help him reunite with the woman he loved, even
after she died...
Psychic
Sent to Prison for 5 years for Fraud ...
scienceblogs.com/denialism/2012/02/29/psychic-sent-to-prison-for-5-y/
Psychic
Ordered to Pay $7 Million for False Claims
https://www.seeker.com/psychic-ordered-to-pay-7-million-for-false-claims-17675900...
Jun 17, 2013 - The owners of a Texas ranch raided by police based on a
psychic's bogus information about a massacre have sued the psychic...
Can you
sue a psychic?
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091203183049AA3WBda
Psychics
should be sued and pay penalties for failed predictions ...
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-739226.html
North
Hollywood woman sues her psychic: She paid $11k...
www.dailynews.com/article/zz/20130710/NEWS/130719975
Jul 10, 2013 - LOS ANGELES -- A woman sued her former psychic reader
today, alleging the soothsayer conned her out of nearly $11000...
Psychic
Sued for False Prophecy…
www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=22177
Houston
attorney sues psychic, claiming breach of contract...
www.chron.com/.../Houston-attorney-sues-psychic-claiming-breach-of-5082623.php
Dec 20, 2013 - A Houston lawyer who says he paid a psychic $3,200 has
sued the woman in State District Court, claiming her "love ritual"
didn't work.
Long
Island man sues Mendham psychic in alleged $250K scam...
www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/lawsuit_ny_man_claims_psychic.html
Psychic
Sued for Consumer Fraud…
www.biklaw.com/psychic-sued-for-consumer-fraud/
Psychic
Gets Sued
https://www.mccluskeychevrolet.com/psychic-gets-sued/
Should
Di's psychic be sued for malpractice for failing to warn her?
connection.ebscohost.com/c/.../should-dis-psychic-be-sued-malpractice-failing-warn-...
The
Psychic Astronaut Who Got Sued By...
https://soundcloud.com/.../the-moon-walking-alien-hunting-psychic-astronaut-who-g...
Why aren't
psychics in violation of false advertising?
https://www.quora.com/Why-arent-psychics-in-violation-of-false-advertising
Feds Shut
Down Psychic Scammers Who Tricked Victims Out Of $180…
https://consumerist.com/.../feds-shut-down-psychic-scammers-who-tricked-victims-ou...
FTC
Charges "Miss Cleo" with Deceptive Advertising, Billing and ...
https://www.ftc.gov/.../ftc-charges-miss-cleo-promoters-deceptive-advertising-billing-...
Can
Psychic/Mediums/Charlatans Be Sued?
https://forums.digitalspy.com
SEC Sues
Psychic For Securities Fraud…
www.npr.org/sections/money/2010/03/sec_sues_psychic_for_securitie.html
CAN i SUE
A PSYCHIC FOR FRAUD...
www.justanswer.com
Paranormal
Searchers: Psychic sued for $80,500...
www.paranormalsearchers.com/2009/09/psychic-sued-for-80500-after-failing-to.html
Woman
claiming to be psychic sued for fraud
cookcountyrecord.com/.../510577716-woman-claiming-to-be-psychic-sued-for-fraud
COMMENTS
Psychic practice, including fortune telling and aura reading, is in
many countries protected by religious freedom legislation.
There is no government certificate that "psychics" must obtain or
professional qualifications they must meet, therefore they cannot be
sued for presenting false qualifications. Giving misleading advice and
telling lies are not necessarily crimes and therefore people cannot sue
for that.
Victims can sue a psychic if fraud can be proved. An example would be
if the psychic advertises free phone readings but charges fees, or
convinces clients to let him invest their money for them but does not
invest as promised.
Psychics' ads may state "for entertainment only", which undercuts
grounds for lawsuits, and they usually refuse to give clear guarantees.
An investigation (Investigator 38) into whether psychics could direct
job-seekers to employers who will definitely employ them found no
Adelaide psychic who would guarantee success.
If you're dying from inoperative cancer because a psychic declared you
cancer-free and this delayed you from seeking professional help you
might have a case if you can prove all of this. The court, however, may
still rule against you because it was your decision to consult a
psychic instead of a doctor.
CONCLUSION
Dr Woolcock's statement that "clients of psychics … should be able to
sue
if damaged by false or misleading information" seems like common sense
and is now echoed across the Internet but is usually difficult to
enforce.
REFERENCES:
Eccles, D. Misleading Psychics Should Be Sued, The City Messenger,
March 16, 1994; Investigator
#36, May 1994
(BS)
The Advertiser (SA) 1985, November 29
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MELBOURNE
— A man who gambled away his savings after a clairvoyant told him he
would inherit money has complained to the Victorian Department of
Consumer Affairs.
The department's annual report says that when the clairvoyant's
prediction failed, and the man had lost his money on a gambling spree,
he complained to the Government.
The clairvoyant had offered to refund the consultation fee. The
Government was unable to help the man in his demand for monetary
compensation for the money lost and for the money he did not win.
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Getting the facts about paranormal claims may save you from exploitation by charlatans!