Mama June Shannon from TLC‘s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is taking legal action after her dentist allegedly extorted her “after placing her in a vulnerable (and painful) position,” by removing her temporary dental implants and refusing to replace them unless she promoted his work on social media and her show.
Mama June sent a legal letter to her dentist demanding 35k after he allegedly botched her procedure.
According to Page Six, Mama June flew out to California to see Dr. Tom Kalili, where he would do her work in exchange for promotion on her social media. However, the star then claims, after he removed her temporary dental implants he threatened her with stopping the procedure at that incomplete stage if she did not do media features promoting his work.
The letter says that Dr. Kalili left Mama June in “a vulnerable (and painful) position,” and that his behavior was the “most stunning ‘bait and switch” that they’ve ever seen.
Mama June’s manager, Gina Rodriguez, told Page Six, “It is inhumane and criminal how he left her. The demand for press after removing her teeth is a form of extortion,” and that their team would be reporting his misconduct to the Dental Bar as well as pressing criminal charges.
Dr. Kalili’s team responded in a statement to PageSix.
Their statement countered Mama June’s claim, explaining that “representatives who presented as her agents demanded additional services, at no cost and within a limited time frame that is not best practice, realistic, nor in the patient’s best interests. [We made] efforts to explain to her agents that this can’t be done in one step and if we skip steps, the patient will be exposed to risks and complications.”
They also made sure to let Page Six know that “they entered into an exchange with our office that we perceived as threatening and included allegations of intent to harm our reputation. Reasonable efforts to explain the recommended treatment plan for the medical care requested were of no avail.”
They finished by establishing Dr. Kalili’s credibility, emphasizing that “Dr. Kalili is a biomaterials expert with 20 years of experience at UCLA and would not agree to comply to their demands, it appeared that they were setting up our office for negative publicity even if it meant putting the patient at risk. As a result of their bullying, Beverly Hills Dental Corp will not treat the person they claimed to represent.”