Texas sex-toy defendant to seek ruling

An attorney for Joanne Webb, a Burleson woman accused by Johnson County authorities of violating an obscenity law by selling sexual devices, said she plans to move to dismiss the charge on constitutional grounds as her client makes her first appearance in court today. The Texas law banning the sale of sex toys violates a right to privacy in sexual relationships granted by the Constitution, said attorney BeAnn Sisemore of Fort Worth. Sisemore and Webb will appear in County Court at Law No. 1 in the Johnson County Courthouse to receive the formal complaint against Webb and file their first motions, Sisemore said. No hearings will take place, she said. County Attorney Bill Moore could not be reached to comment Sunday night. Webb, 42, did not return a telephone call seeking an interview. The defense`s motion to dismiss will argue that there is a constitutional right to fundamental privacy between adults in private, consensual sexual relationships, Sisemore said. The right to privacy encompasses the right to use sexual devices, Sisemore said. The law allows possession but blocks the sale of sexual devices and so interferes with the user`s rights by blocking their purchase, Sisemore said. Sale of a sex toy is considered a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Webb distributes Passion Parties products in gatherings similar to Tupperware parties in which the devices are sold only to women 18 and older. She is a mother of three and a former fifth-grade teacher who serves on the executive board of the Burleson Chamber of Commerce. The obscenity charge is her first brush with the law. Webb surrendered to police Nov. 13 after learning police had conducted an undercover buy from her of two sex toys and decided to file charges. She was released on $1,500 bail.