Legal News

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.

Doctor arrested for $5.2M fraud linked to using medical ozone gas on patients
Jawad Bhatti, MD is facing a 26-count indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice after he allegedly advertised the use of ozone gas as a treatment for pain, then billed Medicare and Medicaid for the unapproved procedures.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are rare in sports cardiology—but they can cost providers millions
When doctors are accused of mishandling the heart health of a young athlete, it occasionally ends up being settled in a courtroom.
HHS, RFK sued by medical associations over COVID policy shift
Multiple professional groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians, challenge recent policy changes to vaccine recommendations for COVID-19, which end routine inoculations for minors and pregnant women.
What’s in the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’—and what was left out?
Sweeping tax cuts and reduced spending on Medicaid and SNAP were signed into law by President Donald Trump. However, a key provision that would have paused new AI regulations was removed by the Senate.
‘Flesh-eating’ hoax on UnitedHealth leaves Las Vegas woman behind bars
Jennifer Forbes, 50, allegedly sent a cryptic, threatening letter to a UnitedHealthcare office along with an unknown substance. She has been charged with two counts of terrorism.

Former NBA player sentenced to 40 months in prison for role in $5M healthcare fraud conspiracy

Glen “Big Baby” Davis was convicted in November of healthcare fraud and related wire fraud charges.

Former nurse sentenced to life for murdering patients with insulin injections

Heather Pressdee, 41, pleaded guilty to the charges, which included three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempt to commit murder.

Steward Health Care files for bankruptcy, citing rising labor costs and reduced reimbursement

The health system employs 40,000 people and cares for more than 12 million patients in eight states.

North Carolina cardiologist arrested for sex crimes

The 61-year-old physician is currently in jail. He was previously in the news for allegedly implanting stents that were not medically necessary, agreeing to pay a hefty sum to settle.

ACLU sues North Carolina over illegal detention of mental health patients

A lawsuit filed in federal court claims the state is detaining mentally ill and disabled patients without due process or proper access to treatment.

Psychiatric hospital sued for $150M over ‘encouraging’ fight between juveniles

A new lawsuit claims a 15-year-old girl was used as an enforcer of bad behavior at a psychiatric facility in Michigan, resulting in her severely beating a 10-year-old boy.

An Illinois appellate judge upheld a pervious trial victory that cleared and central Illinois cardiologist Amit Dande, MD, and Prairie Cardiovascular Consults LLP of alleged misdiagnosis of the severity of a patient's heart condition that led to his death prior to a schedule percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Cardiologist sues health system that called him an ‘immediate threat to the public’

The health system, meanwhile, said it stands by its decision to terminate the interventional cardiologist after working with him for several years.

Breached Change Healthcare server lacked multifactor authentication, UnitedHealth CEO admits

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty told the Senate Finance Committee that systems have been rebuilt “from scratch” in light of the oversight.

Legal News

Doctor arrested for $5.2M fraud linked to using medical ozone gas on patients

Medical malpractice lawsuits are rare in sports cardiology—but they can cost providers millions

HHS, RFK sued by medical associations over COVID policy shift

What’s in the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’—and what was left out?

‘Flesh-eating’ hoax on UnitedHealth leaves Las Vegas woman behind bars