HARRISBURG – Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the filing of a lawsuit against Liberty Doulas for the Philadelphia-area business’s failure to provide services, as advertised, before, during, and after childbirth.
Doulas of the Philadelphia Area, LLC, (which does business as Liberty Doulas), owned by Sierra Mahoney, collected more than $55,000 in prepayments from consumers who purchased doula services related to the birth of a child(ren) and postpartum care. Those services were allegedly not fulfilled, and refunds were not provided.
Mahoney had her doula certification revoked on October 25, 2024. Several of the doulas she employed were likely also not certified.
“Childbirth is a life-changing experience that can bring great joy to parents and families — this business promised care after the birth of these children and literally did not deliver,” Attorney General Henry said. “This business owner valued dollars over customer care, and put parents and children at risk by knowingly providing non-certified doulas, or not providing paid-for services at all.”
The Office of Attorney General received complaints that Mahoney, via the Liberty business, collected payments, but repeatedly failed to provide the services outlined in the contracts, or provide refunds to consumers once requested to do so. In some instances, Mahoney encouraged consumers to pre-pay for their services, when she likely knew she would be unable to provide those services as she was moving to another state.
Parents or clients who believe they may have been harmed by the conduct of Liberty Doulas or Sierra Mahoney should file a complaint with the Health Care Section online, or email healthcare@attorneygeneral.gov.
With Liberty Doulas dissolving, Mahoney began to use her husband’s personal Venmo account to collect pre-payments from customers– knowing she would not be in the state to provide services when those sessions were scheduled.
It was also uncovered that many employees of Liberty Doulas were not paid in a timely fashion. Some employees were instructed to lie to consumers and state that they were sick and unable to provide the scheduled services, rather than Mahoney letting the consumers know that there were not enough staff to fulfill their pre-paid and scheduled services.
The lawsuit asks the court to determine the full restitution amount for all impacted consumers and that civil penalties be levied at up to $1,000 per violation. Also, the Office of Attorney General’s complaint requests that Sierra Mahoney be permanently prevented from providing, advertising, or selling doula services in Pennsylvania.
The Office of Attorney General filed an emergency injunction to prevent Liberty Doulas and Sierra Mahoney from engaging in any further doula practices. The injunction is subject to Court approval and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
# # #