Revoked dentist seeks to erase online news stories about misconduct

A revoked Georgia dentist with a history of alleged violent misconduct is trying to ‘delete’ his past transgressions from the public eye, according to a January 19 story published by the Consumerist.

The dentist, Dr. Gordon Trent Austin of Carrollton, pled guilty in 2009 to six counts of misdemeanor theft for filing Medicaid claims for procedures and operations he did not perform. The guilty plea allowed Austin to avoid prosecution on aggravated assault and cruelty to children charges, which were levied against him in March of 2008. As part of the guilty plea, Austin also agreed to stop practicing dentistry for a period of 10 years. Georgia’s medical board revoked Austin’s license to practice in 2009.

The story of Dr. Austin’s charges and plea deal received minimal coverage in 2009, according to the Consumerist report, but now, seven years have gone by and an anonymous Youtube user has been posting the old coverage online. The coverage includes interviews from former patients of Austin’s who allege that he would hit them across the face with dental equipment when they complained of pain.

Austin has sued the anonymous Youtube user, accusing the user of defamation and demanding that the video should be taken down and the user’s identity revealed.

Read the whole story here.