The DearDoc lawsuit picture in 2026 has three parts: a federal employment discrimination case brought by a former employee, a trade secrets suit DearDoc itself filed against a competitor that has since moved to arbitration, and an organized push by former customers to launch a class action over sales and billing practices. Only the first two are active court cases. The customer class action is still at the petition stage.
The Customer Class-Action Petition
A website at deardoclawsuit.com, run by an entity identified as “WPA,” is gathering former DearDoc customers who want to sue the company collectively. The petition alleges DearDoc locks clients into contracts and demands upfront payment for services that were “initially guaranteed” but never fully delivered.1DearDoc Lawsuit. DearDoc Lawsuit Petition
The site tells people who sign up that legal assistants will follow up, but it doesn’t name the law firm behind the effort or disclose how many people have signed on.2DearDoc Lawsuit. The Petition – Sign Now As of mid-2026, no class-action complaint appears to have been filed in court. If you’re considering signing, understand that you are joining a petition to gauge interest, not a filed case.
What Customers Are Complaining About
The Better Business Bureau profile for DearDoc, Inc. lists 75 complaints in the past three years, with 58 closed in the most recent 12 months. The company is not BBB-accredited.3Better Business Bureau. DearDoc, Inc. BBB Complaints The grievances cluster around three areas.
Sales tactics. Former customers report cold calls in which DearDoc representatives falsely claimed to be from Apple Health or WebMD, framing the call as an “interview” or “feature” before pivoting to a sales pitch. Reviewers describe representatives who talked over them, refused to end calls, or kept calling after being hung up on.4Top Rated Local. DearDoc Reviews
Contracts and billing. Customers say they were locked into 12-to-24-month agreements at roughly $500 to $795 per month, with at least one reporting a charge over $20,000.3Better Business Bureau. DearDoc, Inc. BBB Complaints Many were told they had a “60-day satisfaction guarantee,” but when they tried to cancel, DearDoc required “exit interviews” or Zoom calls scheduled after the renewal date had already passed.5Better Business Bureau. DearDoc, Inc. BBB Complaints Others report auto-renewals without notice and continued billing after cancellation requests.
DearDoc’s written refund policy says payments are “generally non-refundable” once services begin, citing upfront costs to secure placement on platforms like Google, Apple Maps, and Healthgrades. Cancellation applies only to future billing periods.6DearDoc. Refund Policy
Service delivery. Customers allege the “AI chatbot” they bought was a scripted menu they had to write themselves, and that promised extras such as Facebook management, blog posts, and Google-integrated plaques went undelivered or were quietly discontinued. High account-manager turnover left customers cycling through new representatives who didn’t know their agreements.7Better Business Bureau. DearDoc, Inc. BBB Complaints
DearDoc’s replies to BBB complaints have generally apologized for the “perceived lack of value,” pointed customers back to the signed contract and internal refund policy, and in some cases said the company could not locate the account.5Better Business Bureau. DearDoc, Inc. BBB Complaints
Sagehorn v. DearDoc: The Employment Discrimination Suit
Former employee Berry Sagehorn sued DearDoc, Inc. and founder Joseph Brown on March 3, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The case is Sagehorn v. DearDoc, Inc., No. 1:25-cv-01765.8CourtListener. Sagehorn v. DearDoc, Inc. The complaint alleges hostile work environment, discrimination, and retaliation under 42 U.S.C. ยง 2000e-2, and Sagehorn has requested a jury trial.9PACER Monitor. Sagehorn v. DearDoc, Inc. et al
Judge Katherine Polk Failla is presiding. Sagehorn is represented by Carly Jane Skarbnik of Deutsch Atkins & Kleinfeldt, P.C.; DearDoc is represented by Sinayskaya Yuiver PC. In March 2026 the court ordered Sagehorn’s deposition to proceed remotely while requiring Brown’s to be taken in person, and in April 2026 Judge Failla denied a defense motion to quash a subpoena and for a protective order.9PACER Monitor. Sagehorn v. DearDoc, Inc. et al
The case is now in the pretrial phase. Fact discovery was set to close in May 2026 and expert discovery in late June 2026. Judge Failla has referred the matter to Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn for a settlement conference on August 6, 2026, with settlement letters and acknowledgment forms due by July 30, 2026.9PACER Monitor. Sagehorn v. DearDoc, Inc. et al
DearDoc v. Cloudgain: The Trade Secrets Case
DearDoc is also a plaintiff. On October 28, 2025, it filed DearDoc, Inc. v. Cloudgain, Inc. et al., No. 1:25-cv-08953, in the Southern District of New York, alleging misappropriation of trade secrets under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act.10PACER Monitor. DearDoc, Inc. v. Cloudgain, Inc. et al – Complaint The defendants are Cloudgain, Inc., Andrew Marc Antonio (also known as Andrew Sussman), and Carmelo Camilleri. Exhibits attached to the complaint include NDAs, separation agreements, and DearDoc’s employee handbook, indicating the individual defendants are former DearDoc employees.11Justia Dockets. DearDoc, Inc. v. Cloudgain, Inc. et al
DearDoc sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. On November 26, 2025, Judge John G. Koeltl denied that request but ordered the defendants to return any DearDoc computers in their possession, with contents intact, by December 5, 2025. In January 2026 the parties agreed to arbitrate the dispute, and Judge Koeltl stayed the case. A previously scheduled conference was canceled in February 2026, and the parties were told to report back once arbitration finishes or to advise the court if they wish to dismiss.12PACER Monitor. DearDoc, Inc. v. Cloudgain, Inc. et al
Who DearDoc Is
DearDoc is a New York-based healthcare marketing and AI company founded in 2019 by Joe Brown. It sells practice-growth software to doctors, dentists, and veterinarians, marketed as a way to turn website visitors into patients through AI-powered chat, digital marketing, and online scheduling. The company is bootstrapped, with no outside venture capital.13Ratio. DearDoc Customer Story
DearDoc grew from zero to about 100 employees in its first two years and reached roughly 150 to 160 by the mid-2020s. The company says it serves more than 4,500 to 5,000 healthcare practices nationwide and reports eight-figure annual revenue. Its product line has expanded from the original chat widget to online scheduling, digital patient forms, local SEO, reputation management, and telemedicine tools it fast-tracked during the 2020 pandemic.14DearDoc. Joe Brown, Author at DearDoc