St. Louis-based Orthopedic Care Partners Management and Joint Health, doing business as Motion Orthopedics, filed a breach of contract petition on April 6 in St. Louis County Circuit Court against George Paletta, MD, alleging he owes the practices more than $317,000 in outstanding invoices related to the selling of his practice, according to court documents reviewed by Becker’s.
In March 2023, Dr. Paletta sold his medical practice to OCP, after which Motion Orthopedics employed him as a physician. Dr. Paletta had also served as head orthopedic surgeon for the St. Louis Cardinals sporadically for approximately 20 years, a role that ended in October 2025, the St. Louis Business Journal reported April 24.
In August 2024, Dr. Paletta sued OCPM and Motion Orthopedics in St. Louis County Circuit Court, claiming they attempted to nullify their agreement and his employment after he complained of unreimbursed expenses, lack of marketing and office support, and interference with his relationships with the Cardinals and the team’s contracted medical provider, Mercy, according to the Journal. The parties mutually ended his employment in November 2024 and signed a confidential settlement agreement resolving that dispute, and Dr. Paletta’s suit was subsequently dismissed in December 2024.
As part of that settlement, Dr. Paletta agreed to pay $400,000 for outstanding invoices, structured as four quarterly payments of $100,000 each over one year. The agreement also provided that any outstanding accounts receivable collected by OCPM after Oct. 28, 2024, would be credited toward his obligation. He made only one partial payment of $82,534 in March 2025, falling $17,466 short of his first installment. He missed the remaining three payments due in May, August and November 2025, leaving a total of $317,466 still owed, according to the breach of contract petition.
The settlement also referenced a goodwill purchase agreement and a noncompete and non-solicitation agreement tied to the original 2023 practice acquisition, meaning Dr. Paletta was contractually restricted from competing with or soliciting patients or staff from his former practice following his departure, according to the court documents.
The plaintiffs are pursuing a single count of breach of contract, seeking monetary damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees and court costs. A summons was issued to Dr. Paletta on April 20, and he had not yet responded to the lawsuit as of the time of filing, according to court records.
Becker’s has reached out to Dr. Paletta and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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