A lawsuit has been filed and is seeking class action status against Dr. Frank Lawlis and his company alleging fraud and breach of contract. Lawlis is the principal content adviser to the "Dr. Phil" show; he screens guests and treats some of them at his clinic after their appearances.
Lawlis ran an advertisement in a California trade publication for psychotherapists noting "Dr. Phil viewers can be your clients," and "Dr. Frank Lawlis, the principal content adviser to the "Dr. Phil" show, is developing a national network of therapists to handle the millions of inquiries from Dr. Phil's on-air TV promotions and DrPhil.com." Lawlis parlayed his friendship with the pop psychologist into a lucrative sideline: training therapists in Dr. Phil's "techniques."
Therapists paid hundreds of dollars to take Lawlis' courses and were promised referrals from the "Dr. Phil" show. The referrals never materialized and a lawsuit has been filed in San Francisco Superior Court alleging 300 therapists received the training, but never a referral.
The lawsuit also names Learning Information Technologies and mytherapynet.com. as defendants. Learning Information Technologies is a Florida online education company that marketed Lawlis' training and mytherapynet.com is a Southern California company that offers online mental health counseling.
