Free for a Fee

A dentist who used a controversial contract to take “ownership” of her patient’s reviews has been slapped with a court order to pay $4,766.

It’s a not-entirely-satisfying end to a legal battle that began in 2011, when Dr. Stacy Makhnevich was sued by Robert Lee, a patient who challenged the arrangement. A company called Medical Justice created the contracts, which granted Makhnevich copyright for any potential patient reviews.

Medical Justice refused to defend the lawsuit, saying it was “retiring” that contract. Then Makhnevich literally made a run for it. Her own lawyers were unable to contact her, and she’s been nowhere to be found since 2013.