Stories about physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in lawsuits—as either a plaintiff or a defendant—or accused of breaking the law. Various legal updates or unusual stories in the news may land here.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Leticia Gallarzo, 51, most recently pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft in Oct. 2023, but she skipped town and was able to get employment as a nurse and physician assistant in Illinois and California before being caught.
According to a report from Myrtle Beach Online, a lawsuit has been filed accusing the optometrist of emotional manipulation and domestic abuse. The complaint comes after she filed for divorce.
The Federal Trade Commission said it's seeking a resolution with Cigna, the parent company of the pharmacy benefit manager. The agency filed an antitrust complaint against Express Scripts, Optum Rx and CVS Caremark in 2024, alleging the "Big Three" PBMs use anticompetitive tactics to control the insulin supply chain within their vertical.
An anesthesiologist in Colorado has been indicted on manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges after a patient died during routine cataract surgery. It was discovered that a game of music bingo may have been the distraction that led to Bart Writer, 56, losing his life.
Of the $6.8 billion in judgments and settlements the U.S. Department of Justice reclaimed under the False Claims Act, $5.7 billion came from healthcare cases. The agency said fraud involving Medicare reimbursements, unnecessary patient care and managed care scams remains a key focus.
Capitol Radiology LLC submitted the voluntary petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, seeking to wipe out $157,000 in debt.
The company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it is cooperating with the Department of Justice’s inquiry into possible incidents of Medicare Advantage upcoding.
In a settled lawsuit, a surgeon and anesthesiologist admitted to playing the game and missing an alarm that warned them a 56-year-old patient had stopped breathing.
A California health system and a local morgue are facing accusations of gross negligence after the bodies of missing persons were discovered—some with identification still on them. The state Department of Public Health is investigating the incidents.
The insurer is challenging three phone calls made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that led to a docked rating for some of Humana’s plans. A previous challenge, which broadly contested the agency’s star rating criteria, was dismissed.
Ritesh Kalra, MD, allegedly wrote 31,000 opioid prescriptions between 2019 and 2025, many of which were illegitimate. He is accused of inappropriately touching patients in exchange for oxycodone scripts as part of a five-count criminal indictment.