Attorney General Ellison reaches settlement with defunct dental clinic, begins accepting refund claims from consumers

Woodbury Dental Arts shut down in March 2024 and filed for bankruptcy, abandoning patients with unfinished treatments

Settlement enables consumers to obtain refunds of fees they paid for dental services that were not provided from newly created Consumer Protection Restitution Account (CPRA)

Consumers must submit claim within 60 days of receiving notice, verify that they paid fees out of pocket, and verify that the services they contracted for were not completed

Marko Kamel also surrenders dentist license to MN Board of Dentistry, cannot reapply for 10 years

December 4, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that his office has reached a settlement with the Chapter 7 Trustee for the Bankruptcy Estate of Woodbury Dental Arts, a former Woodbury dental clinic owned and operated by Marko Kamel. As part of that settlement, Attorney General Ellison’s Office has begun accepting claims for refunds from consumers who were harmed by Woodbury Dental Arts. The settlement enables harmed consumers to obtain refunds of the fees they paid in advance for dental services that were never provided.  

“All too often, when we catch scammers, they don’t have money left to pay back the people they cheated,” said Attorney General Ellison. “That almost happened when Woodbury Dental Arts abruptly closed up shop and declared bankruptcy after accepting downpayments for costly dental procedures they would never provide. Fortunately, Minnesota’s new Consumer Protection Restitution Account gives my office the ability to put money back in the pockets of scam victims if the scammer themselves is unable to pay. I’m glad we can compensate those Minnesotans who lost so much when Woodbury Dental Arts shut its doors. The Consumer Protection Restitution Account is an outstanding new tool in our toolbox that will really aid our mission of helping Minnesotans afford their lives. As an additional measure, I hope that lenders agree to refund payments made by these victims and forgive their debts. I’m grateful to everyone who helped make this happen, from the legislators who got the CPRA signed into law to our partners on the Board of Dentistry to the Chapter 7 trustee whose commitment to getting people their money back was unwavering. This is a good day for people wronged by Woodbury Dental Arts, and for Minnesotans overall now that the CPRA is up and running and ready to support scam victims.”

Background on Woodbury Dental Arts

In November 2023, the Minnesota Board of Dentistry temporarily suspended Kamel's dental license based on a probable-cause determination that his treatment of two patients violated the Board's practice act and that his continued practice would present an imminent risk of serious harm. The Attorney General’s Office alleges that Kamel and Woodbury Dental Arts deceived and defrauded patients by misrepresenting and concealing his ineligibility to practice and continuing to collect tens of thousands of dollars in upfront fees from patients for services Kamel and the clinic failed to provide. 

In March 2024, just days before the Board imposed final discipline against his license, Kamel promptly shut down the clinic without providing notice to patients, abandoning hundreds of patients and leaving many with unfinished treatment for dental implant services. Kamel and Woodbury Dental Arts failed to refund patients, leaving many in debt and worse off than if they had they never sought treatment in the first place. Woodbury Dental Arts filed for bankruptcy in March 2024, leaving patients without a path to recover the substantial fees they paid.

Attorney General Ellison’s Office alleges that Kamel and Woodbury Dental Arts violated the Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act and Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

In addition to the settlement, in October Marko Kamel entered a stipulation and order with the Board of Dentistry in which he agreed to surrender his dental license. Under the Order, Kamel is prohibited from practicing dentistry in Minnesota. If he wants to practice in the future, he must wait a minimum of 10 years before applying for reinstatement and if he then applies for a new license, must pay a $500,000 civil penalty and demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he is capable of practicing competently and safely. The State of California, where Kamel was also licensed to practice dentistry, revoked his license in May 2025. 

“The Board’s disciplinary action against Mr. Kamel’s license reaffirms the Board’s unfailing commitment to promoting and protecting public health and safety in dentistry for all Minnesotans. The Board’s decision ensures accountability for violations of state law while safeguarding the public interest for years to come,” said Bridgett Anderson, Executive Director of the Minnesota Board of Dentistry. “And while the surrender of Mr. Kamel’s license marks a resolution of the Board’s licensing matter, the Board is pleased that the continuing work of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his team may afford patients an opportunity to seek compensation.”

The Settlement and Refund Process

The settlement reached by Attorney General Ellison permits consumers to obtain refunds from the newly created Consumer Protection Restitution Account in the Attorney General’s Office. The Consumer Protection Restitution Account (CPRA), which the Minnesota Legislature created earlier this year upon Attorney General Ellison’s request, is a fund that, among other things, is available to refund consumers who were harmed by companies that have gone bankrupt or for some other reason are unable to make consumers whole.

Before the CPRA was established, the Attorney General Office’s was required to deposit civil penalties the State recovered in consumer-protection settlements or restitution dollars that could not reasonably be distributed to consumers into the State’s General Fund. Under the new law, the Attorney General may deposit recovered funds into the CPRA and distribute them to scam or fraud victims who cannot receive restitution from the entity that cheated them. Because Woodbury Dental Arts filed for bankruptcy, former patients would have been unable to obtain refunds without this settlement and without the creation of the CPRA.

Attorney General Ellison’s Office has identified consumers who may be entitled to refunds and will notify them via email or letter. Those notices are expected to go out within the next week. To obtain a refund, consumers must submit a claim using the link provided to them in the notice.  They must attest that they paid for services that were not provided by Woodbury Dental Arts prior to March 2024, when the clinic filed for bankruptcy.  Consumers are required to provide proof of payment and must verify that Woodbury Dental Arts did not provide the contracted-for services.  

The Attorney General’s Office does not have a complete patient list, so encourages any former patient who believes they may be entitled to a refund under the settlement with Woodbury Dental Arts to contact the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office by calling (612) 429-7130 or by emailing woodburydental@ag.state.mn.us.  

The Minnesota Board of Dentistry licenses and has authority to regulate dentists in Minnesota.  The Board has authority to investigate dentist conduct and take enforcement action against dentists who engage in unprofessional or unethical conduct, including substandard care.  Attorney General Ellison encourages anyone who has concerns about their dentist to contact the Board as follows:

Minnesota Board of Dentistry
335 Randolph Avenue, Suite 250
Saint Paul MN 55102
(612) 617-2250
https://mn.gov/boards/dentistry
dental.board@state.mn.us