A Seattle-area plastic surgery provider accused of threatening patients over negative reviews and posting fake positive ones must pay $5 million to the state attorney general's office and thousands of Washington patients, according to a federal consent decree filed Monday. The consent decree resolves a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Bob Ferguson in December 2022. It accused Allure Esthetic and owner Dr. Javad Sajan of violating state and federal consumer protection laws by posting the false reviews and forcing patients to sign nondisclosure agreements barring them from posting or saying anything negative about Allure, reports the AP.
The resolution, filed in US District Court for the Western District of Washington, requires Allure to pay about $1.5 million in restitution to about 21,000 people. People who were forced to sign illegal NDAs will each receive $50, while those who paid a nonrefundable consultation fee before they signed an illegal NDA will receive $120. The remainder of the money, about $3.5 million, will go to Ferguson's office for attorney fees, litigation costs, and monitoring and enforcing of the consent decree, according to the resolution.
Allure threatened to sue and did sue some patients if they didn't take down negative reviews, according to the complaint. In some instances it offered patients cash and free services or products in exchange for taking down negative reviews. The practice also had more than 10,000 patients sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving treatment that restricted them from posting negative reviews online, the lawsuit said. Sajan also allegedly directed employees to create fake email accounts to pose as patients and post positive reviews.
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According to the lawsuit, the company also rigged "best doctor" competitions hosted by local media outlets, kept tens of thousands of dollars in rebates intended for patients, and altered before-and-after photos of procedures on patients. "The cooperative settlement, while not admitting fault and resolving claims asserted by both sides, allows Allure Esthetic to continue to focus on its core mission of providing compassionate care to patients," said a lawyer for Allure Esthetic.
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