Obscenity Charges Against Passion Parties Peddler Dropped

CLEBURNE, Texas - A Texas judge has dropped obscenity charges against Joanne Webb, the housewife who was arrested Nov. 13 in an undercover police sting operation for selling sex toys.

Two Johnson County police officers posing as a couple had purchased two dildos from Webb at her husband’s office in Burleson, located near Ft. Worth. Afterwards, Webb was busted and charged with violating Texas’ obscure anti-obscenity law, which bans devices meant to stimulate genitalia.

Johnson County attorney Bill Moore recently asked the judge to drop the charges against Webb in order to avoid wasting county resources. Accordingly, the judge dismissed the case, although the exact date of the dismissal has not been made public.

Webb is a mom, former grammar school teacher and a Passion Parties Inc. consultant host. Her job is to present Tupperware-type parties featuring adult novelty products. Passion Parties is a 10-year-old company based in Brisbane, Calif., with 3,000 sex toy sellers who stage home parties throughout North America.

Webb’s case gained national attention. She is reportedly the first Passion Parties host to have been arrested for obscenity. According to Marlene Janssen, director of business development for 4-year-old Temptations Parties, none of her distributors have ever been charged with obscenity.

Janssen told XBiz, “We’re very happy the charges were dropped. It’s very indicative of the state’s embarrassment.”

Janssen went on to praise Webb as “an excellent representative for the industry and anybody who does home parties. She will go down in history in a good light. I wish she worked for us,” said Janssen, whose firm is part of PHE Inc. and a sister company to Adam & Eve.

Convergence Inc. President David Levine, who owns 9-year-old sextoy.com and is one of the largest adult product affiliate programs, said that the issue of what defines community standards has become a problem for his company.

“How can I keep track of the different community standards in various jurisdictions? Levine asked XBiz. "I ship sex toys all over the world. Should I send them to South Korea? If a town has a censorship history, we won’t ship back to those towns,”

Webb’s attorney, BeAnn Sisemore, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Texas’ obscenity law.

“More power to them,” Janssen said. “It’s time the government got their noses out of our bedrooms.”

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

AV Bulletin: Midyear Roundup

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, more state age verification laws have been enacted around the United States, as well as proposed at the federal level and in other countries. Meanwhile, lawsuits resulting from AV laws have begun to play out in the courts. This roundup provides an update on the latest news and developments on the age verification front as it impacts the adult industry.

Williams Trading Names Lindy Court Sales Representative

Williams Trading has appointed Lindy Court as its new sales representative.

Full Circle Expands 'Be Savage' Line

Full Circle Distribution has introduced 30 new styles from its Be Savage line of lingerie.

Sportsheets to Debut 'Signature' Collection at ANME

Sportsheets will introduce its new Signature collection at the ANME trade show in Burbank next month.

JO Debuts 'Bake Shoppe' Lube Collection

JO has introduced its Bake Shoppe Collection of flavored lubricants.

Dollmora Wellness Now Offering OEJ's Cristal, Zodiac Collections

Dollmora Wellness has partnered with Our Erotic Journey (OEJ), adding the Zodiac and Cristal Collections to its curated catalog of pleasure products.

Aneros Debuts 'Soaker' Cleaning Accessory

Aneros has introduced its new Soaker accessory for cleaning prostate massagers.

Lovense Launches 'Control Me' Livestream Feature

Lovense has officially launched its new Control Me feature for livestreams.

Judge Dismisses Last NCOSE-Backed Suit Over Kansas AV Law

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit alleging that adult site SuperPorn violated Kansas’ age verification law, citing lack of jurisdiction after similarly dismissing two related cases earlier this year.

Wicked Sensual Care Debuts 'Natural' Lube From 'Simply' Collection

Wicked Sensual Care (WSC) has introduced the new Natural lubricant from its Simply collection.

Show More