In an industry characterized by multibillion-dollar corporations, Christopher Cooley’s dental equipment and supply distribution company, Parkway Dental Services LLC, swung above its weight. But that all changed when the coronavirus pandemic hit, as his overseas product manufacturers began to operate erratically and many of his clients shut down their businesses.

And now the New Jersey company has become part of a litigation trend after it turned to merchant cash advance companies, and its debt spiral began. One advance turned into another. Meanwhile, as the family owned company’s gross revenues plunged, the merchant cash advance companies continued to collect their payments from Parkway.