Shah alleges that he and Wal-Mart had signed a non-disclosure agreement before the company walked out and opened clinics with another party.

Dentist sues Wal-Mart for stealing clinic idea for California and Arizona stores

February 13, 2013 2:04 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

After he originally approached the company in 2008 with the idea for a low-cost dental clinic to be placed in its stores, Kianor Shah, a California-based dentist and entrepreneur, is taking Wal-Mart to court, claiming that the company stole his intellectual property when it opened multiple dental clinics in its stores, including one in Queen City, Arizona. 

Shah had approached former Wal-Mart VP of New Business Development Ken Reeves along with his business partner Ken Antos about his plan and the two sides had originally agreed to go ahead with the idea before talks broke down. Now, Shah is suing Reeves and Antos after Wal-Mart opened clinics in three of its stores, which the two executives help run. The clinics were implemented through a partnership with Comfort Care Dentistry, whose CEO, Christopher Comfort, is named as the third defendant in the case.

Shah alleges that, after signing a non-disclosure agreement, he and Wal-Mart were in lease negotiations for the clinics before Wal-Mart backed out out the deal. When he’d learned that Wal-Mart was opening clinics in three of its stores in partnership with Comfort Care Dentistry, Shah decided to take legal action. Wal-Mart, meanwhile, denies Shah’s claims.

“Simply put, his allegations are baseless and misguided. Offering our customers access to services they want, like independent medical, banking and restaurants, enables us to deliver on our commitment to offer one-stop shopping. We will continue to provide products and services that our customers are interested in and this includes leasing space to others when it makes sense,” said Wal-Mart spokesman Randy Hargrove in an e-mail statement.

This case could act as a cautionary tale for small business owners and entrepreneurs based in Arizona when entering negotiations with larger companies. Seeking out a Phoenix business law attorney is one way a company or entrepreneurs can protect their intellectual assets from other companies.

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