The Three Rivers Dental lawsuit history involves three separate strands: two defamation suits the Western Pennsylvania practice filed against former patients over negative online reviews, a billing dispute in which a patient sued the practice and won, and the unrelated federal murder conviction of the group’s founder, Lawrence Rudolph. The practice operates offices in Cranberry Township, Greentree, and Greensburg.
The 2019 Defamation Suit Against Robert Ottaviani
In June 2019, Three Rivers Dental Group filed a libel action in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court against Robert Ottaviani, a Hempfield Township resident and former patient. The complaint alleged Ottaviani posted false and defamatory statements on Facebook, Yelp, and other forums between May 20 and June 4, 2019, including a Facebook post claiming the company was “under investigation for unethical and fraudulent acts” and a Yelp review stating his insurance company was investigating claims he had made.1TribLIVE. Hempfield Man Sued by Three Rivers Dental for Social Media Posts
The practice, represented by Pittsburgh attorney Marcus Schneider, sought unspecified damages and a court order forcing Ottaviani to take the posts down. Ottaviani told reporters his claims were true and said he had received a cease-and-desist letter but had not yet been served.2WTAE. Dental Group Files Lawsuit Over Westmoreland County Man’s Facebook Post
On June 28, 2019, Common Pleas Judge Chris Scherer denied the request for a preliminary injunction. Citing Ottaviani’s First Amendment right to free speech, Scherer wrote that granting the order “could adversely affect the public by putting a deterring effect on someone who intended to exercise their First Amendment rights by posting a negative review but hesitated because a fear of potential lawsuits.” The court also found the practice had not shown that the posts hurt its business.3Becker’s Dental Review. Judge Rules Pennsylvania Dental Group Can’t Force Patient to Remove Online Comments
The 2024 Defamation Suit Against Charles Szelestey
Five years later, the practice filed a similar suit in Butler County Court of Common Pleas. Filed February 23, 2024, the complaint targeted Charles (CJ) Szelestey, whose dispute with the practice began after he challenged charges from a December appointment for two crown repairs.4WPXI. Dentist Office Suing Butler County Man Over Negative Comments Online
The allegations went beyond standard reviews. According to the suit, Szelestey posted on Facebook warning people away from the Cranberry and Greentree locations, saying they had left him “tooth and money-less.” He also posted one-star reviews on Yelp and Yellow Pages for a location where he was not a patient, and painted “3 Rivers Dental Sucks” on his Jeep and later on a van.4WPXI. Dentist Office Suing Butler County Man Over Negative Comments Online The complaint further alleged he impersonated employees while answering questions online, which he denied.5Becker’s Dental Review. Pennsylvania Dental Office Sues Patients Over Negative Online Comments
Three Rivers Dental sought $35,000, citing losses of goodwill, customer trust, business reputation, and profits.4WPXI. Dentist Office Suing Butler County Man Over Negative Comments Online Attorney Marcus Schneider again represented the practice.6Legal Newsline. Dental Practice Sues Over Bad Reviews and Facebook Posts Claiming Defamation There is no publicly reported resolution.
Fouse v. Three Rivers Dental Group
The practice has also been on the receiving end of litigation. Roger Fouse sued Three Rivers Dental over a billing dispute involving his son, Nicholas. Court records show the group retained a $3,800 reservation deposit and a $450 processing fee after Nicholas’s dental procedure was cancelled due to illness. Fouse brought claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and violations of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.7Justia. Fouse, R. v. Three Rivers Dental Group
An arbitration board awarded Fouse $4,225. At a subsequent non-jury trial, the court awarded him $4,250 for breach of contract and $12,750 for the consumer-protection violation. Three Rivers Dental filed a post-trial motion, but the trial court dismissed it because the practice’s lawyers did not deliver a copy to the judge’s chambers as a Westmoreland County local rule required.7Justia. Fouse, R. v. Three Rivers Dental Group
On November 8, 2024, the Pennsylvania Superior Court reversed that dismissal. The appellate court held that under Pennsylvania Rule of Judicial Administration 103(d)(8), a court may not deny relief for a technical local-rule violation without first alerting the offending party and giving a reasonable chance to fix the error. The case was sent back to the trial court to consider the post-trial motion on its merits.7Justia. Fouse, R. v. Three Rivers Dental Group
Founder Lawrence Rudolph’s Murder Conviction
The practice was founded by Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph, a Greensburg dentist convicted in federal court of murdering his wife. In October 2016, Bianca Rudolph was killed by a shotgun blast in a hunting cabin in Zambia’s Kafue National Park during a leopard-hunting trip. Rudolph told authorities the gun discharged accidentally as she packed it.8CNN. Larry Rudolph Dentist Safari Wife Death
The FBI concluded otherwise. Prosecutors showed that Rudolph had carried on a roughly two-decade affair with Lori Milliron, a former office manager at his dental practice, and that Milliron had given him an ultimatum to leave his wife. Evidence at trial showed the pair planned to collect nearly $5 million from nine life-insurance policies on Bianca’s life and start over in Arizona, and that they had previously discussed poisoning her with propofol before settling on the plan carried out in Zambia.9Union Progress. Former Greensburg Dentist Gets Life in Prison for Murdering Wife on African Safari
A federal jury convicted Rudolph in 2022 of foreign murder and mail fraud. U.S. District Judge William Martinez sentenced him to life in prison for the murder and 20 years for the fraud, to run concurrently, and ordered roughly $4.9 million in restitution to the defrauded insurers, a $2 million criminal fine, and forfeiture of homes in Arizona and Pennsylvania along with luxury vehicles.9Union Progress. Former Greensburg Dentist Gets Life in Prison for Murdering Wife on African Safari Milliron was convicted of being an accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, and perjury, and received 17 years.8CNN. Larry Rudolph Dentist Safari Wife Death
On September 8, 2025, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit unanimously affirmed the convictions and sentence.10Colorado Politics. Court Upholds Conviction Lawrence Rudolph Killing Wife Africa The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari on January 12, 2026, ending Rudolph’s direct appeals.11U.S. Supreme Court. Docket No. 25-675, Rudolph v. United States
How Pennsylvania’s Anti-SLAPP Law Changes the Picture
Both defamation suits against former patients predate a significant change in Pennsylvania law. In July 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro signed HB 1466 into law as Act 72 of 2024, the Pennsylvania Uniform Public Expression Protection Act. The statute broadened the state’s anti-SLAPP protections from a narrow environmental-speech law to cover all First Amendment expression, allows defendants to seek early dismissal of frivolous suits, and requires plaintiffs who bring meritless claims to pay the defendant’s attorney fees and litigation costs.12Spotlight PA. Pennsylvania SLAPP Law Free Speech Lawsuits Protections
The law is not retroactive, so it would not have applied to the Ottaviani or Szelestey suits. Before the expansion, the Institute for Free Speech gave Pennsylvania a “D-” on its anti-SLAPP scorecard because the earlier protections only reached environmental speech.12Spotlight PA. Pennsylvania SLAPP Law Free Speech Lawsuits Protections The statute has since been invoked; in early 2026, a Pennsylvania township settled with a resident it had sued over public-records requests and reimbursed his legal fees under the law.13ACLU of Pennsylvania. HB 1466 Protecting Public Expression Through Anti-SLAPP Reform A future suit resembling the ones Three Rivers Dental filed would face a much shorter path to dismissal and the risk of a fee-shift against the plaintiff.