Healthgrades lawsuits in recent years fall into two main buckets: an active defamation case brought by a Michigan orthopedic surgeon who says the site labeled him a criminal by confusing him with another doctor, and a class action arising from a 2020 data breach that exposed the personal and medical records of thousands of patients. A separate strand of litigation involves doctors suing patients over reviews posted on the platform, though Healthgrades itself is not the defendant in those cases.
Saad v. Healthgrades: The Mistaken-Identity Defamation Case
In February 2024, Dr. Hussein A. Saad, an orthopedic surgeon in Michigan, sued Healthgrades Marketplace, LLC and RVO Health, LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (No. 4:24-cv-10514). According to the complaint, Healthgrades confused Dr. Saad with another physician who shared the same first and last name but had a different middle initial. That other doctor had been convicted of federal opioid-related charges and had his medical license suspended.1Law360. Doc Review Site Must Face Suit Over Criminal Profile Mix-Up
Healthgrades placed a disciplinary badge on Dr. Saad’s profile, giving patients the impression he had a criminal record and a suspended license. He brought claims for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and tortious interference with a business relationship, alleging the error cost him patients and damaged his reputation.2Medical Justice. Healthgrades Sued for Labeling a Physician as a Criminal
On October 30, 2024, U.S. District Judge F. Kay Behm issued a mixed ruling on Healthgrades’ motion to dismiss. The defamation and tortious interference claims were allowed to proceed; the intentional infliction of emotional distress claim was dismissed.3Leagle. Saad v. HealthGrades Marketplace, LLC1Law360. Doc Review Site Must Face Suit Over Criminal Profile Mix-Up The case remains in active litigation, with no trial date or settlement reported.
Why the Usual Website Defenses Failed
Healthgrades raised two defenses that often protect online publishers. First, it argued a “qualified privilege” to report on matters of public interest such as physician credentials and disciplinary actions. Under that theory, Dr. Saad would need to prove “actual malice,” meaning reckless disregard for accuracy rather than simple negligence. The court rejected the argument, finding Dr. Saad is a private figure and that accepting the platform’s logic would effectively shield any digital publisher from liability for freely available online information.2Medical Justice. Healthgrades Sued for Labeling a Physician as a Criminal
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which typically protects websites from liability for user-posted content, was raised as a potential shield too. But the disputed content, the criminal and disciplinary link on Dr. Saad’s profile, was generated by Healthgrades itself, not a third-party reviewer. That distinction makes Section 230 unlikely to apply.2Medical Justice. Healthgrades Sued for Labeling a Physician as a Criminal
Davidson v. Healthgrades: The 2020 Data Breach Class Action
Between October 16 and October 28, 2020, an unauthorized individual accessed an archived server maintained by Healthgrades Operating Company. The server held backup files containing patient data from healthcare facilities that had previously used Healthgrades’ services.4ClassAction.org. Healthgrades Operating Company Hit With Class Action Over Data Breach
The exposed information was extensive: patient names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, dates of service, physician names and specialties, insurance details, treatment and billing codes, potential diagnoses, and cost of treatment information.5GovTech. Vendor Breach Raises Alarms for a North Carolina Health System
Notification to affected facilities was not immediate. Wake Forest Baptist Health-Lexington Medical Center in North Carolina, one of the hospitals whose patient records were exposed, said it was not informed until January 29, 2021, roughly three months after the unauthorized access ended.6The Dispatch. Lexington Medical Center Patients’ Records Exposed in Vendor Data Breach
In May 2021, a class action, Davidson v. Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. (Case No. 1:21-cv-01250), was filed in Colorado on behalf of the thousands of patients whose data was exposed.4ClassAction.org. Healthgrades Operating Company Hit With Class Action Over Data Breach
Review Disputes That Involve the Platform But Not as a Defendant
Healthgrades reviews have also been the subject of doctor-patient litigation, though the company itself is typically not sued. In 2018, Dr. Joon Song, a Manhattan gynecologist, sued former patient Michelle Levine for $1 million plus legal fees, alleging that negative reviews she posted on Healthgrades, Yelp, Zocdoc, and Facebook were defamatory. His attorney pointed specifically to Levine’s characterization of the office’s “crooked business practices.”7ABC11. Gynecologist Sues Woman for $1M for Posting Bad Reviews
Levine deleted her reviews but reported spending roughly $20,000 on her own legal defense by mid-2018.8Anti-SLAPP Project. Manhattan Doctor Sues Patient for $1 Million for Posting Negative Reviews Online Healthgrades was not a party to the case, but it shows how the platform’s review system can become the focal point of legal conflict between physicians and their patients.
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