SmileDirectClub Sues NBC Over News Report, Seeking $2.85 Billion

By Benjamin Mullin

Teledentistry company SmileDirectClub Inc. has sued Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, seeking nearly $3 billion in damages for what it alleges were defamatory news reports about the company's treatment methods.

The suit, filed Monday in a Tennessee court, focuses on a Feb. 13 "NBC Nightly News" segment that described complaints by some SmileDirectClub customers and warnings about teledentistry from an orthodontics professor. The lawsuit also says that an online article accompanying the segment is inaccurate.

SmileDirectClub's complaint claims that the reports from NBC News contained numerous errors involving the safety and effectiveness of its product.

"NBC must be held accountable for its abuse of power and betrayal of trust," SmileDirectClub said in its lawsuit. "Viewers and readers across the country turn to the media for the information they need to make decisions about their health and well-being."

NBCUniversal didn't have an immediate comment.

(More to come)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 18, 2020 16:18 ET (20:18 GMT)

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