NEW YORK CITY (September 22, 2023) – A civil complaint alleging a series of sexual offenses has been filed on behalf of Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 against Vincent J. Valentino DDS of Valentino & Valentino D.D.S, P.C. The allegations include criminal sexual acts, forcible touching, and engaging in criminal sexual acts while the victims were either “mentally incapacitated and/or physically helpless” due to the administration of nitrous oxide, used to alleviate the plaintiffs’ anxiety related to dental procedures.
Valentino owned and operated the dental office of Valentino & Valentino D.D.S, P.C at 472 Bay Ridge Parkway in Brooklyn, New York.
The lawsuit was filed Sept. 15, 2023 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York County of Kings. Attorneys for the victims are Guy A. D’Andrea of LBK in Philadelphia, Pa., and Kathleen R. Thomas of Thomas Counselors at Law, LLC in New York City.
The victim identified as “Jane Doe 1” lives in New Jersey. Her initial interactions with Valentino for dental care date back to the early 1990s, when she was a teenager. The complaint alleges that Valentino leveraged his position as a dental practitioner to sexually assault Jane Doe 1 on at least 12 occasions between approximately 2000 and 2004.
According to the allegations, Valentino administered nitrous oxide to Jane Doe 1 before treatment, causing her to become subdued by the effects of the gas. The sexual misconduct escalated over time and included allegations Valentino placed his hands inside her shirt to rub her bare breasts, unzipped his pants, forced her to touch his erect genitalia, and digitally penetrated her.
The victim identified as “Jane Doe 2” lives in New York. Jane Doe 2 was both a patient and part-time employee at Valentino & Valentino between 1999 and 2003. According to the complaint, Jane Doe 2 directly assisted Valentino as he performed dental care and treatment on patients. She alleges that Valentino started with subtle gestures during work hours by positioning his knee on Jane Doe 2’s crotch and then proceeded to rub his knee up and down her genitalia, while the patient was lying down and unable to witness the alleged assault.
Jane Doe 2 alleges that Valentino groped and molested her during a patient’s procedure, and then placed cash in her scrubs pocket located over her breasts and fondled her. Jane Doe 2 also alleges that as a patient of the practice, Valentino sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.
According to the allegations, Valentino administered nitrous oxide for almost all treatments and procedures, including teeth whitening, cleanings and fillings. She recalls that Valentino told Jane Doe 2 that it would help relax her and that Valentino turned up the gas machine to allow the numbing effects to take effect before sexually assaulting her.
“For too long, Valentino subjected patients to systematic sexual abuse,” said D’Andrea, who serves as lead attorney on the case. “The brave patients who have come forward, we believe, are not the only victims of Valentino’s sexual assaults. He had hundreds of patients and thousands of opportunities from the 1990s through 2022, when the practice was voluntarily dissolved, to conduct procedures while patients were sedated by nitrous oxide.”
All survivors of sexual assault and those with information about Valentino are encouraged to contact LBK’s sex crime victims’ hotline at 800-220-7600 to begin the path to healing. Attorney Guy D’Andrea can be contacted by email at gdandrea@laffeybuccikent.com.
