Spelios and Associates v. Dewalle [1]

Spelios and Associates, a North Carolina dental practice, filed a lawsuit in North Carolina against a former patient, asserting that she made defamatory comments about the practice on the Charlotte News & Observer's website [2]. In its complaint [3], Spelios and Associates, P.A., asserts that Lorna Dewalle posted comments in March 2009 that falsely stated that plaintiff's staff "blatantly lied and misdiagnosed" her during an appointment. Compl. [3] ¶ 16.

According to the complaint and news articles [4], the dispute arose when the staff's recommended treatment of Dewalle conflicted with that of another dentist. Compl. [3] ¶ 11.  Spelios and Associates asserts that patients have canceled appointments because of Dewalle's statements.

The Charlotte News & Observer reports [5] that attorney Bill Mills is representing Dewalle pro bono. According to the newspaper, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss the complaint in May that states, "Everything said or written by the defendant was a fair comment by a consumer about a professional licensed by the state of North Carolina and therefore cannot be the basis of a claim of libel or slander."