In an Affidavit filed this week in the Bahr brothers (CDMO & CDET) v. Rick Kushner and Comfort Dental lawsuit reveals the abuse and threats that reign down from Kushner and other Comfort Dental executives.
Louisville, Colorado Comfort Dental subfranchisees were berated, threatened and assessed $50,000 penalty for failing to use Budget Dental Lab dba Premier Dental Lab owned by Rick Kushner—owner of Comfort Dental, Inc.—and his brother, Barry Kushner, along with Roy Martin, C. Michael Bloss, Bruce Irick and Neil Norton.
“We would order an appliance from the non-Comfort Dental lab because quality was much higher and much more reliable.”
“In some cases costs were higher when using a non-Comfort Dental lab, but we felt it necessary to serve our patients’ best interest.”
“Comfort Dental assessed a $50,000b out-o-system lab referral penalty on us.”
“…after having been summoned by Rick Kushner, at a meeting at the Comfort Dental headquarters in Lakewood, CO… we (the partners of Louisville (CO) office were admonished by Rick Kushner and about the franchise violation, use of an outside lab. Immediately thereafter, Rick Kushner announced that a $50,000 fine was being imposed on our office/partnership. The entire sum due and payable in 2 weeks.”
“..Kushner further threatened that if we did not timely pay the outside lab use fine, our franchise right would be terminated, our ownership in the office would be forfeited, and our office would be given to other.”
“If we didn’t have the funds available to pay the $50,000 fine on time, Dr. Kushner advised then we should contact Leah Dirks at First Bank for a loan.”
“During the meeting, Rick Kushner told Scott Lowery that “he should take him out to the parking lot and beat the living shit out of him.”
“During the following 2 weeks, I decided that I would not pay the fine…there were a number of follow-up email messages, the upshot of which being that I was not allowed to sell my interest in the Louisville (CO) office, one that I had paid approximately $450,000…”
“In the end, I just walked away from this sad chapter of my life, effective October 31, 2012.”
Email from Neil Norton to Louisville. Colorado subfranchisee owners:
“…go F@#$ yourself, and do us all a favor and never say you ever knew us. You are worthless, despicable pieces of shit. This will follow you forever, but maybe you’ll do that world a favor and disappear.
Neil G. Norton, DDS
Exec VP Marketing
Comfort Dental, Inc.
Lakewood, CO. “
Was Norton’s email an introspective look himself?
“…despicable piece of shit”
“..follow you forever.”
Just saying..
Anyway, I don’t know about the “lean” part, but Kushner and crew sure practice the “mean” part of his preaching; ”Lean and Mean” indeed.
- Neil George Norton, DDS
Colorado Dental License Number – DEN.00006859
Issued 8-21-1991
Status is Active
Letter of Admonition – 12-21-2000
