Seattle plastic surgery accused of false reviews ordered to pay $5 million

SEATTLE (AP) — A provider of plastic surgery in the Seattle area accused of threatening patients over negative reviews and posting fake positives must pay $5 million to the attorney general’s office and thousands of patients in Washington, according to a federal consent decree.

The consent decree filed Monday resolves a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson in December 2022. The Seattle Times reports this. The complaint named Allure Esthetic and owner Dr. Javad Sajan accused of violating state and federal consumer protection laws by posting false reviews and forcing patients to sign non-disclosure agreements barring them from posting or saying anything negative about Allure.

The resolution, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, requires Allure to pay approximately $1.5 million in restitution to approximately 21,000 people. People who were forced to sign illegal NDAs will receive $50 each, while those who paid a non-refundable consultation fee before signing an illegal NDA will receive $120.

The rest of the money, about $3.5 million, will go to Ferguson’s office for attorney fees, court costs and monitoring and enforcement of the consent decree, the resolution said.

“Writing a truthful review of a company should not expose you to threats or intimidation,” Ferguson said in a statement. “Consumers rely on reviews to determine who to trust, especially on services that impact their health and safety. This resolution holds Allure accountable for blatantly violating that trust – and the law – and ensures the clinic stops its harmful behavior.”

Erin M. O’Leary, an attorney at Allure Esthetic, said in a statement that the decision to settle was not an easy one, but that the company is pleased to have resolved the matter.

“The cooperative settlement, while not admitting fault and not resolving claims by either party, allows Allure Esthetic to continue to focus on its core mission of providing compassionate care to patients,” O’Leary said.

Sajan, the owner of Allure, is based in Seattle. Allure also does business under several other names, including Alderwood Surgical Center, Gallery of Cosmetic Surgery, Seattle Plastic Surgery, Northwest Nasal Sinus Center and Northwest Face & Body, the lawsuit said. Alderwood Surgical Center and Northwest Nasal Sinus Center are also named in the consent decree.

According to its website, the company offers surgical and non-surgical services, including plastic and cosmetic procedures.

The complaint accused Allure of illegal business practices, including artificially inflating its ratings on Yelp and Google by posting fake positive reviews and suppressing negative reviews that were real.

According to the lawsuit, the company also rigged “best doctor” contests hosted by local media, withheld tens of thousands of dollars in rebates from patients and altered before-and-after photos of procedures on patients.

Allure threatened to sue and also sued some patients if they did not remove the negative reviews, the complaint said. In some cases, it offered patients cash and free services or products in exchange for removing negative reviews. The practice also had more than 10,000 patients sign non-disclosure agreements before receiving treatment that prevented them from posting negative reviews online, the lawsuit said.

Sajan “personally authorized” the amount of money or value of services offered to patients who posted negative comments, the lawsuit said. He also allegedly instructed employees to create fake email accounts to pose as patients and post positive reviews.

The resolution also requires Allure to hire an outside forensic accounting firm to conduct an independent audit of its consumer rebate program to identify those owed rebates and, upon request, provide the Attorney General’s office with evidence of compliance with the terms of the agreement. consent decree for the next ten years.

If Allure or any of its affiliates violate the terms, they may be subject to civil penalties of up to $125,000 per violation.