A proposed class action lawsuit accusing a Manhattan dentist of forcing patients to sign an unconscionable contract barring them from writing bad reviews on customer review websites may continue, a federal judge has ruled.
Southern District Judge Paul Crotty (See Profile) on March 27 denied a motion by the dentist, Stacy Makhnevich, to dismiss the lawsuit, Lee v. Makhnevich, 11-cv-8665, on the ground that there was no actual controversy between the parties. The judge ruled that Makhnevich had created a controversy by threatening to sue the patient, Robert Lee, after he posted an unfavorable review on the websites Yelp and DoctorBase.
