A Purchase dentist is suing his partner for $1 million and seeking to sever their business relations.
Dr. Michael Graffeo accused Dr. Harrison Linsky of usurping corporate opportunities in a lawsuit filed on May 30 in Westchester Supreme Court.
“The core of this dispute lies in Dr. Linsky’s bad acts and willful omissions,” the complaint states, that allegedly resulted in complaints from patients, referring dentists and employees.
Attempts to find contact information for Linsky, to ask for his side of the story, failed.
The dentists are 50-50 partners in Westchester Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Implantology, Purchase, founded in 2011, and in Southern Connecticut Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Implantology, Stamford, founded in 2016.
Graffeo claims that problems began around 2020 when Linsky allegedly began providing independent medical exams for insurance companies and attorneys, “and pursuing other non-business, personal matters during normal business hours.”
Linsky, of New Rochelle, purportedly used the equipment and examination rooms for the independent medical exams without producing revenue for the dental practices.
He ignored managerial and medical duties, according to the lawsuit, left Graffeo to perform most of the surgical and medical tasks, performed incompetently when he did perform medical tasks, and created a toxic work environment by mistreating the staff.
Graffeo says he has to manage the practices alone, to the detriment of his own duties as an oral surgeon.
Despite reducing his workload for the dental practices, the complaint states, Linsky continues to receive half of the net income, compensation and employment-related benefits.
“The inability of Dr. Graffeo and Dr. Linsky to collaborate on essential management decisions, compounded by Dr. Linsky’s refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue or negotiations,” the lawsuit states, “has created a deadlock that makes it no longer practicable to carry on the business under the current partnership structure.”
Graffeo is demanding $1 million for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and usurpation of corporate opportunities. He is asking the court to dissolve the Westchester dental practice and disassociate Linsky from the Stamford practice.
Graffeo is represented by Purchase attorneys Jonathan D. Kraut, Andrew C. Lang, and Leo Napior.
