Attorney General Paxton Files Landmark Healthcare Fraud Lawsuit Against Doctors Who Illegally Forced “Gender Transition” Drugs on Kids

AUSTIN, TX -- Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Healthcare Program Enforcement Division has taken first-of-their kind legal actions to hold two North Texas physicians accountable for illegally administering “gender transition” drugs to minors and then fraudulently billing Texas Medicaid.

In October and November 2024, Attorney General Paxton sued May Lau and M. Brett Cooper, who are doctors who prescribed “gender transition” drugs to dozens of Texas children in violation of Texas law. Earlier this year, May Lau surrendered her medical license following Attorney General Paxton’s lawsuit against her.

New evidence gathered by the Office of the Attorney General shows that there were deliberate efforts to conceal illegal activity by falsifying records, altering diagnosis codes, and submitting deceptive billing information, which is conduct that supports new healthcare fraud claims. By submitting deceptive billing records, Lau and Cooper were able to conceal the “gender transition” interventions and secure Medicaid reimbursement for services that Texas law and Texas Medicaid explicitly do not allow.

In light of these discoveries, Attorney General Paxton added Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act (“THFPA”) claims to the cases against each doctor, marking the first time any state in the nation has brought healthcare fraud allegations against medical providers for unlawful “gender transitioning” on children. With this, Attorney General Paxton is seeking three times the amount of improperly paid Medicaid funds and substantial civil penalties for each unlawful act to hold the physicians accountable to Texas law and ensure that Texas is repaid for the evil performed by the doctors.

“What these radicals were doing was evil, and I will pursue every available legal tool to stop and punish this cruel child abuse,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Any fraudulent scheme to steal hardworking Texans’ taxpayer dollars will be stopped and repaid in full. Under my watch, the transgender activists using their positions in the medical field to illegally ‘transition’ children will face the full force of the law.”

To read the petition against Cooper, click here. To read the petition against Lau, click here.