BUTLER - A Western Pennsylvania dental practice has gone to court to sue a man who has bashed it online, claiming he has defamed the business.
Three Rivers Dental Group filed a civil lawsuit Feb. 23 against Charles Szelestey in the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County.
The dental group, which operates under three separate LLCs – Three Rivers Dental Group Cranberry, Three Rivers Dental Group Greentree, and Three Rivers Dental Group Greensburg – is represented by Marcus B. Schneider from Steele Schneider.
Szelestey has engaged in an online campaign to damage TRDG Cranberry and Greentree, the suit says. It started with a Dec. 13 Facebook post telling others not to use the business and "BE AWARE OF THESE PEOPLE."
He later posted TRDG is "bad news all over the place. It is downright dangerous." Three days later, he posted one-star reviews on Yelp and Yellow Pages regarding Greentree, although he had never been a patient there, the suit says.
The defendant reached out to offer services to Szelestey, but he refused and continued with criticisms online, the suit says, causing defamation.
Marcus Schneider of Steele Schneider in Pittsburgh represents the plaintiff.