Hudson Valley dentists sue dentists over patients

A Hudson Valley dental group is suing a former employee for $255,000 for allegedly taking patients when he left the practice to work for a competitor in Poughkeepsie.

Family Dental Group accused Dr. Peter A. Lucchese of violating his duty of loyalty, in a complaint filed March 9 in Westchester Supreme Court, and it is also demanding $250,000 from his new employer, Hudson Valley Dental Arts, for allegedly interfering with a contract.

Garden City attorney Caroline P. Wallitt, representing Dental 365, a Northeast dental services firm with which HVDA is affiliated, described the action as a “frivolous.”

Family Dental has offices in Brewster, Fishkill, Lake Katrine, Yonkers and Yorktown Heights.

Lucchese was hired in 2019, according to the complaint, and worked in several of the offices.

His name was still prominently mentioned, as of March 22, in several undated patient reviews on Family Dental Group’s website.

“My experience with Family Dental Group and Dr. Lucchese has been amazing. He truly has been understanding & has done incredible work with me,” Carla S. said.

“Dr. Lucchese is wonderful. He puts you at ease and informs you on all your dental needs,” Helen P. said.

John S misspelled the dentist’s name as Luccase and said he is “fantastic!”

In January, Lucchese took vacation time purportedly to visit his sick mother in Florida, according to the complaint, and he resigned from Family Dental on Feb. 1 without giving advance notice.

But he was actually using the vacation time to work for HVDA, a direct competitor in Poughkeepsie, Family Dental alleges, and he now works for that practice fulltime.

After he was hired, Family Dental says, Lucchese had agreed not to solicit or accept for dental treatment any current or former patient for two years after leaving the practice; to pay $1,000 per patient if he violated the agreement; and to not keep or reproduce any patient records.

Lucchese surreptitiously solicited former Family Dental patients, according to the complaint, and “misappropriated” confidential information, laboratory work and dental molds. He also is accused of accepting jewelry worth more than $5,000 from a patient in exchange for dental services, thus depriving the practice of its fee.

HVDA knew about Lucchese’s non-solicitation agreement, Family Dental claims, because it summarized the agreement in a Jan. 18 letter to its competitor.

Family Dental is asking the court to order an accounting to determine the number of patients that went to HVDA, and an order prohibiting Lucchese and HVDA from soliciting its patients or using its confidential information.

Manhattan attorney Steven Landy represents Family Dental.