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Sunday, February 28, 2010
Courts - "Kentucky Law firm, medical clinic accused of trading clients"
Reminiscent of this Aug. 9, 2009 ILB entry, quoting a story in the Gary Post Tribune headed "Chiropractor, attorney accused of scam: Accident victim says her saga painful; federal case alleges insurance fraud," is this long story today by Andrew Wolfson in the Louisville Courier Journal. From today's story:
Injured when another car struck hers in June 2008, Sharon Langford of Louisville went to see the law firm of Winters Yonker & Rousselle.She said the firm told her that her health insurance wouldn't cover injuries suffered in car wrecks and that she should get all medical care at 1st Physician Rehabilitation Inc., a clinic on Crums Lane.
When Langford needed surgery, the firm flew her to another clinic in Florida.
She only discovered later, she said, that both clinics are owned by Gary Kompothecras, a chiropractor who also owns the heavily advertised referral service 1-800-ASK-GARY, which refers clients to Winters & Yonker, as the firm is now known, in Louisville and Florida.
In a suit filed last month against the law firm and Kompothecras' Louisville clinic, Langford said the relationship between the two — and their alleged deception — deprived her of the right to treatment by her doctors and cost her money.
Sam Carl, one of her lawyers, said Winters & Yonker settled her accident case for $200,000, then paid itself $70,000 and the medical providers $64,518, leaving her the smallest share, $62,738. (The balance covered medical expenses before she hired the firm.)
“I felt they weren't honest with me,” Langford, a former state corrections officer, said in an interview.
The law firm and medical clinic call the suit frivolous and say they will prevail.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 28, 2010 08:57 AM
Posted to Courts in general