An Ardsley doctor who leases expensive laser equipment says he misjudged the demand for cosmetic procedures and now needs to “shed” the payments.
Dr. Laurence C. Miller, who operates Westchester Aesthetic Center, offers cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections, laser skin rejuvenation, body sculpting, hair implants and liposuction, for which he says he leased several special lasers “in anticipation of an abundant interest in those services.”
“Unfortunately, the demand for those services did not come to fruition,” Miller states in an affidavit filed Oct. 23 with a Chapter 11 petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, White Plains.
Most of the lasers and equipment are going unused and he has been unable to renegotiate the leases, totaling about $45,000 a month, or return the equipment, Miller said.
He filed for bankruptcy protection, he said, “to shed the exorbitant lease payments” and stay in business.
The medical practice had made $1,006,351 this year, as of the filing date of the petition, $2,138,077 last year and $2,061,974 in 2018.
Miller declared $26,002 in assets and $322,528 in liabilities.
He owes JPMorgan Chase $162,785 for a business loan, line of credit and Small Business Administration loan, as well as unspecified amounts to several equipment leasing companies.
He leases office space at the Ardsley Professional Complex on Saw Mill River Road.
Miller has practiced medicine in Westchester since 1999, according to his website, beginning with internal medicine, pulmonology and critical care. For the past 15 years, he has been perfecting his technique, according to his website, “making him one of the best in the business.”
The petition lists one pending lawsuit, filed in September in Orange County, California, by Balboa Capital Corp., an equipment financing company.
The petition does not list a malpractice lawsuit that was filed Sept. 1 in Westchester Supreme Court.
Alyssa Goldberg of Mamaroneck accused Miller and his medical practice of failing to properly perform cosmetic surgery procedures last year, or to “monitor and timely treat post-op infections.”
She claims she incurred expenses for medical, hospital and nursing services, according to the complaint, “and will continue to incur expenses in the future.”
Miller denied any wrongdoing in an answer filed Oct. 7, and stated that he is a “skilled, competent and qualified physician who provided medical care ”¦ within standards of care.”
He demanded a bill of particulars, specifying every alleged injury, act of malpractice and other details that would support her allegations.
Miller is represented in the bankruptcy case by Eastchester attorney Dawn Kirby and in the malpractice case by White Plains attorney Michael N. Romano.
