A judge ruled that the California Dental Association and individual dentist-plaintiffs could continue to pursue their claims against Delta Dental of California.
The CDA claims that Delta Dental of California violated the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing when adopting the 2023 contractual amendments, according to an Oct. 19 news release from the CDA.
The legal action was filed by the CDA in late December 2022 and claimed that Delta Dental of California was not meeting its obligations to dental providers.
Delta Dental of California and the individual defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims. The court granted some of Delta Dental of California's motions but also allowed CDA to modify their complaints to include more facts and information for consideration.
The CDA intends to pursue as many actionable claims against Delta Dental of California as possible, the release said.
Delta Dental provided the following statement to Becker's: "Delta Dental of California maintains the CDA's claims are meritless, which is reflected by the San Francisco Superior Court's definitive ruling to dismiss five out of seven claims in this unsubstantiated lawsuit. We will seek to dismiss any remaining claims, as appropriate, and continue to vigorously defend ourselves.
"We are deeply focused on our partnership with providers. In addition to simplifying and modernizing our fee structure to increase revenue for a majority of California network providers earlier this year, Delta Dental of California has initiated a subsequent fee increase for 2024 that went into effect Oct. 15, 2023, for nearly all general dentists in our PPO network. Our network has grown this year to include more than 22,000 dentists and 66,000 access points — making it the largest network of dental providers in the state. We are committed to improving health by providing access to quality care, and it is through our collaboration and close partnership with our providers that we are able to deliver that care."