FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 410-576-7009
Maryland State Doulas Sold Doula Services to Expecting and New Parents Its
Operators Used Money for Personal Benefit
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today
that his Consumer Protection Division has issued a Final Order against Heather and Ryan
Delaney, who operated Maryland State Doulas, LLC, a Crofton-based company, for violating the
Consumer Protection Act by selling doula services to consumers in and near Maryland without
providing the promised services or refunds.
The Consumer Protection Division’s Final Order prohibits the Delaneys from taking payments
from a consumer before providing services unless they have posted a surety bond in the amount
of $250,000 with the Consumer Protection Division; it also requires the Delaneys to pay a
$606,500 penalty and return all of the monies they collected from consumers for promised doula
goods and services that were not provided.
“Expectant and new parents trusted Maryland State Doulas to provide them with much-needed
support services through pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood, but Heather and Ryan
Delaney instead pocketed their money and failed to provide the services they promised,” said
Attorney General Brown. “This case sends a clear message that our Office will not tolerate
businesses that prey on trusting families during one of life's most important moments.”
The Delaneys offered doula goods and services including pregnancy support, labor and delivery
support, postpartum support, overnight support, sibling care, lactation support, and placenta
encapsulation services. They collected thousands of dollars in advance payments from
consumers, but, in many cases, failed to provide services in whole or in part. The Delaneys also
charged consumers’ credit cards additional amounts that the consumers had not authorized.
When consumers requested refunds, the Delaneys sent fake refund receipts, and sometimes
strung consumers along for months with claims of attempted refunds that were never provided.
They also spent consumers’ money to fund their personal lifestyles, including trips to Disney,
retail shopping, golf courses, and entertainment. The Delaneys also falsely claimed that Ms.
Delaney and some of the doulas working for Maryland State Doulas possessed doula-related
certifications, training, and experience that they did not have.
The Office of Administrative Hearings took testimony and evidence from 45 former customers
of Maryland State Doulas. Based on this evidence, the Division found that the Delaneys owed 29
of these consumers at least $60,877.61 for payments they made to Maryland State Doulas for
services that were not provided.
Consumers with questions may call the Consumer Protection’s Health Education and Advocacy
Unit hotline at (410) 528-1840.
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