Dr. Keith Hoerning, a married Long Island doctor, is facing a lawsuit from Rosana Kissoon, who alleges an 18-month affair and is seeking over $1 million in damages. The lawsuit has brought renewed attention to Hoerning's past, including details of his first marriage and a prior affair.
Kissoon, 39, a former stripper, met Hoerning at a Long Island club. Her lawsuit, filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court, claims Hoerning professed his love and promised a future together. After Kissoon allegedly contacted Hoerning's current wife, Nicole, Hoerning reportedly went to the police, attempted to have Kissoon arrested, and sought a restraining order, accusing her of threatening his family. Hoerning has denied wrongdoing, seeking dismissal of the lawsuit and accusing Kissoon of blackmail in a court filing. He described their relationship as "the worst mistake" of his life and provided text messages he claims show Kissoon demanding money to keep their affair secret.
Revelations from sources close to Hoerning's first marriage indicate a pattern of behavior. Nearly a decade before the alleged affair with Kissoon, Hoerning, then 42 and a father of three, began an affair with Nicole Elliot, a 24-year-old medical assistant at his Long Island practice. At the time, Hoerning was married to his first wife, Michele Carrieri. Sources told the Daily Mail that Hoerning insisted Nicole was his "true love" and that he was not "the kind of guy who cheats."
Despite pleas from family members, Hoerning left Carrieri, causing significant familial strain. He married Nicole shortly after his divorce was finalized. They now have two young children together. The circumstances of Hoerning's first marriage and his subsequent departure have been described by a source as "painfully circular" given the current lawsuit.
"Nicole was once the young employee involved with a married man in a relationship that was presented to her as exceptional and uniquely significant. She is now the wife learning that Keith had another sustained intimate relationship with someone else," a source familiar with the situation commented. The source added that given the consequences of his first marital breakup, they would have expected Hoerning to be more protective of his second marriage, family, and career. "Instead, he seems to have exposed all of those things again - and potentially to even greater consequences this time."
Before the affair with Nicole, Hoerning's marriage to Carrieri had reportedly endured for years, though he privately expressed unhappiness and feelings of being undervalued. However, there were few outward signs of impending collapse, with the couple maintaining a comfortable family life and close ties with extended families.
The situation began to change in early 2017 when Hoerning, working long hours at his family medicine practice, grew closer to Nicole, who was employed there. Hoerning is described as charismatic and persuasive, intensely focused when pursuing his desires. He reportedly showered Nicole with attention, calling her his "true love."
By the summer of 2017, Hoerning announced his intention to leave his marriage to pursue a future with Nicole. This decision reportedly caused considerable pain for all involved, including his three children, who were then between 11 and 13 years old. Hoerning's own family initially struggled to accept Nicole and the rapid changes. He and Nicole married soon after his divorce from Carrieri was finalized.
Sources expressed sadness over the current crisis, particularly for Hoerning's children. "The first divorce was already enormously disruptive. Eventually Nicole became part of the family and Keith built an entirely new family life with her, so seeing that stability threatened too is very sad to me," one source stated. The source also noted, "People are complex. Nobody in this story is entirely good or entirely bad."
Hoerning's attorney, Barket, declined to comment on the specifics of the sources' claims but called public discussion of his client's personal life from a decade ago "ridiculous and offensive."