A patient who faced legal threats after writing a negative review about his dentist has cleared a key legal hurdle, as a New York court rejected the dentist's "ridiculous" arguments for dismissing the lawsuit.

We've written before about a controversial copyright assignment agreement created by a group called Medical Justice. The agreement asks patients to grant their doctor or dentist copyright in any reviews they might write.

One of those patients, Robert Lee, had a billing dispute with his dentist Stacy Makhnevich. Frustrated, he vented his complaints on review sites such as Yelp. Makhnevich threatened to sue him for copyright infringement and other offenses, citing the copyright assignment in the Medical Justice agreement. Her lawyer warned Lee that he could be on the hook for $100,000 worth of damages.

But Lee wasn't intimidated. He got himself a lawyer and sued Makhnevich in 2011. He sought a declaration from the court that the agreement was invalid and that he had a right to publish his reviews. The media attention over the case prompted Medical Justice to "retire" the agreement in 2011.

Makhnevich asked Judge Paul Crotty to dismiss the case. She argued that since she had not actually filed a lawsuit, there was no active controversy for the courts to adjudicate. But Judge Crotty wrote that "a brief review of Defendants' conduct in response to Lee's exercise of basic rights shows how ridiculous their arguments are." He notes that Makhnevich's lawyer included a copy of the complaint he was threatening to file in court if Lee didn't take down his reviews. The lawyer also threatened to send Lee to collections if he didn't pay Makhnevich the money she claimed he owed.

"No reasonable person could view Defendants' constant barrage of threats as anything other than a real controversy," Judge Crotty wrote.

The ruling is not the final word on the case; it merely allows Lee to move forward with his lawsuit. But the scathing language of the ruling suggests that Makhnevich will face a skeptical judge.

"This lawsuit about a toothache and a dentist's attempt to insulate herself from criticism by patients has turned into a headache," Judge Crotty quipped. "After appealing to his dentist for pain relief, Plaintiff Robert Allen Lee, ironically, is appealing to the court for relief from his dentist."

Lee hasn't gotten that peace of mind quite yet, but he's one step closer.