Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 81.005 – Defenses
(a) It is not a defense to an action brought under § 81.002 or 81.003 that the sexual exploitation of the patient or former patient occurred:
(1) with the consent of the patient or former patient;
(2) outside the therapy or treatment sessions of the patient or former patient; or
(3) off the premises regularly used by the mental health services provider for the therapy or treatment sessions of the patient or former patient.
(b) It is a defense to an action brought under § 81.002 or 81.003 by a former patient that the person was not emotionally dependent on the mental health services provider when the sexual exploitation began and the mental health services provider terminated mental health services with the patient more than two years before the date the sexual exploitation began.
Terms Used In Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 81.005
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) A person is considered not emotionally dependent for purposes of this chapter if the nature of the patient’s or former patient’s emotional condition and the nature of the treatment provided by the mental health services provider are not such that the mental health services provider knows or has reason to believe that the patient or former patient is unable to withhold consent to the sexual exploitation.