PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A marriage and family therapist is suing a website for editing an online profile without her knowledge or permission and for including inaccurate information.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tuesday, alleges that Sussex Directories, Inc. and Sussex Publishers, LLC own, operate and publish a searchable directory of therapy and health professionals featured on the website, www.psychologytoday.com.

In January 2014, Barbara Adams created a professional online profile with Sussex “for publication on its website wherein she listed her profession as ‘Marriage and Family Therapist,’” according to the lawsuit. Adams’ professional profile was published on the website in September 2014. Once the site went live, “an employee of Defendant edited Plaintiff’s profile information, without Plaintiff’s permission or knowledge, to include a license number of “C7291.”

The lawsuit alleges that on February 12, 2016, someone at the website allegedly edited Adams’ profile for a second time and changed her title from “Marriage and Family Therapist” to “Licensed Professional Counselor.”

Adams, through her lawsuit, claims that the website failed to use reasonable care to avoid harming Adams when it edited her profile to include the false license number of “C7291” and the incorrect employment position description.

“Defendant did not contact Plaintiff to confirm the accuracy of the information it published on www.psychologytoday.com related to her credentials,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit goes on to state that, “as a result of the false information the company published” on Adams’ profile, her former employer, The Native American Rehabilitation Association, “believed she was holding herself out to be something she was not—a licensed professional counselor—and terminated her employment in October of 2016.”

“Plaintiff has been unable able to obtain employment as a therapist since her termination of employment with NARA in October of 2016, causing significant economic damages to Plaintiff,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit claims that the website had a duty to include accurate information about Adams on the profile that it maintained because it promoted its information as confirmed and verified.

The lawsuit is asking for economic damages in the amount of $200,000 and non-economic damages in the amount of $200,000.

KOIN 6 News has reached out to the publishing company of the website for comment, but has not heard back.

KOIN 6 News received a copy of an e-mail reportedly sent from the CEO of Psychology Today, Jo Colman, to Adams’ attorney on May 22.

From: Jo Colman

Sent: Monday, May 22, 2017 5:25 PM

To: Andrew Teitelman

Cc: [E-MAIL REDACTED]

Subject: Barb Adams Counseling

Dear Mr Teitelman:

Thanks for your letter concerning Barbara Adams. We are sorry to hear of her circumstances.

I am sure both you and Barb Adams have reviewed the Terms and Conditions of our site. And that you will know that we “explicitly disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy, content or availability of information found on our site”. We also state very clearly “The Psychology Today directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any therapists it lists”.

We rely upon professionals to list accurate information about themselves. And to check the information they are listing. These expectations and terms are clearly published on our site so there can be no confusion.

I would be happy to review with you the details of how Barb Adams (E-MAIL REDACTED), who listed herself as ”Barb Adams Counseling”, got to be confused erroneously with a synonymous Oregon Counselor “Barbara Adams Leigh”. But I’m not sure it needs any further explanation than that.

That it did occur, does not make Psychology Today liable for malice or negligence. In fact, quite the contrary. Barb Adams had multiple opportunities to point out the error over a two year period and could have prevented it occurring in the first place had she completed the information on the multiple opportunities she was given. As soon as we were alerted, the information was immediately removed.

If there is anything we can do to help her explain this to others, we would be happy to do so.

Yours sincerely,

–/Jo Colman

Jo Colman CEO

Psychology Today

115 East 23rd Street,

New York, NY 10010