Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has expanded lawsuits against two North Texas physicians accused of unlawfully providing gender-affirming care to minors, adding new claims that they falsified records to conceal the treatments.
Paxton鈥檚 office announced additional allegations on Wednesday against Dr. May Lau and Dr. M. Brett Cooper, who were among three Texas doctors the state sued last year for allegedly violating , a 2023 law that bans gender-affirming medical care for minors.
The law prohibits treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and certain surgical procedures for people under 18. It was in 2024 after legal challenges from families and physicians who argued the restrictions would endanger transgender youth.
The attorney general鈥檚 office said Wednesday that new evidence shows Lau and Cooper took deliberate steps to hide the care they provided by falsifying medical records, altering diagnosis codes and submitting deceptive billing information. According to court records, the doctors allegedly used misleading billing records to disguise gender-affirming treatments and obtain Medicaid reimbursement for services that Texas law doesn鈥檛 allow.
In announcing the new claims, Paxton characterized the allegations as an effort to conceal 鈥渃ruel child abuse鈥� and a misuse taxpayer funds. Attorneys for Cooper didn鈥檛 immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday, although Craig Smyser, one of Lau鈥檚 attorney鈥檚, told The Texas Newsroom that Paxton鈥檚 allegations were 鈥渇alse in every material aspect.鈥�
"Dr. Lau did not force any treatment on any of her patients and her care complied with Texas and federal law in every respect," Smyser said.
Lau, an adolescent medicine specialist formerly affiliated with Children鈥檚 Medical Center Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center, was accused of providing hormone treatments to nearly two dozen minors after the ban took effect. She surrendered her medical license in October after the state鈥檚 initial lawsuit. According to Smyser, Lau was moving her medical practice to Oregon and no longer saw a reason to continue to maintain her Texas license.
Just weeks later, Cooper, a pediatrician affiliated with the same institutions, was accused of continuing to prescribe testosterone to multiple patients after SB 14 was implemented, along with altering diagnosis codes to disguise the care. Cooper remains licensed to practice, according to
Paxton鈥檚 office also sued a pediatric endocrinologist in El Paso for similar allegations in 2024, although the state after finding "no legal violations."
