The Columbus, Indiana dentist's office accused of pulling all of a man's teeth without his consent filed a complaint against him in federal district court, and showed RTV6 a consent form that authorized the removal of his teeth.
In the complaint, Dr. Aaron Strickland and White River Dental accuse Donny Grigsby and his wife Amanda of making false statements about medical care Grigsby received.
Grigsby has claimed Strickland pulled all of his teeth without his consent, and that he woke up "covered in blood" and had to be rushed to a hospital. He also claims he coded twice in the ambulance and had to be revived.
A Call 6 Investigation found Strickland has a clean record, with no complaints filed against him in the 11 years he's been licensed to practice dentistry in Indiana.
Strickland and White River Dental have refuted Grigsby's claims. They provided a document to RTV6 showing Grigsby's signature that authorized the removal of all of his teeth, should it be necessary.
In the complaint, they request a federal judge allow them to disclose what would normally be protected information.
"It would be inequitable for the defendant to make false statements in the news reports so as to use HIPAA as both a shield and a sword," the complaint says.
White River Dental says it has suffered a "precipitous and immediate loss of business" due to news reports of Grigsby's claims. They also say an employee quit due to the reports and nine patients have canceled appointments.
In addition to losses they say they've sustained, Strickland and White River Dental claim to have received "hostile and even threatening telephone calls" since the report first aired.
The complaint was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Strickland and White River Dental are being represented by Indianapolis law firm Barnes & Thornburg.
