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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
DALLAS DIVISION
| ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, |
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| ALLSTATE INDEMNITY COMPANY, |
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| ALLSTATE PROPERTY & |
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| CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, |
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| BOSTON OLD COLONY INSURANCE |
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COMPANY, and THE GLENS FALL
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| INSURANCE COMPANY, |
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Plaintiffs/Petitioners |
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| vs. |
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Civil Action No. 3-01-CV2247-N |
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| RECEIVABLE FINANCE COMPANY, |
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| L.L.C, ADVANCED MEDICAL SYSTEMS |
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| & SOLUTIONS, P.L.L.C., MARLON |
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| D. PADILLA, M.D., P.A., ACCIDENT & |
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| INJURY PAIN CENTERS, INC., (d/b/a |
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| ACCIDENT & INJURY
CHIROPRACTIC), |
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| ROBERT SMITH,
LONE STAR |
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| RADIOLOGY MANAGMENT, L.L.C., |
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| WHITE ROCK OPEN AIR MRI, L.L.C. |
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| (d/b/a WHITE ROCK OPEN MRI), |
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| NORTH TEXAS OPEN AIR MRI, L.L.C. |
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| (d/b/a NORTH TEXAS OPEN MRI, |
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| HARRIS COUNTY MRI and BEXAR |
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| COUNTY M.R.I.), REHAB 2112, L.L.C., |
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| METROPLEX PAIN CENTER, INC. |
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| (d/b/a LONE STAR RADIOLOGY), |
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| LACIDEM MANAGEMENT, BS |
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| LIMOUSINE, L.L.C., STEVEN SMITH, |
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| TINA CHESHIRE, THOMAS
RHUDY, |
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| D.C., LOUIS SAUCEDO,
D.C., JEFFREY |
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| CROCOLL, D.C., KENNETH LUSTIK, |
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| D.C., MARK RAYSHELL, D.C., LARRY |
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| PARENT, D.C., CHRISTOPHER |
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| HOLOWISKI, D.C., CAREY FABACHER, |
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| D.C., PATRICIA JOHNSON, D.C., |
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| GHOLAMREZA ASSADOLAHI, D.C., |
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| KYLE CAMPBELL, D.C., TAYANA |
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| STEFANOVIC, D.C., CHAD BLACKMON, |
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| D.C., RAMESH SANGHANI, D.C., |
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| MARLON PADILLA, M.D., JAMES |
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| LAUGHLIN, D.O., DOUGLAS WOOD, |
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| D.O., DEE MARTINEZ, M.D., and |
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| MOHAMMAD BORGHEE (d/b/a FAMILY |
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| CARE PHARMACY), |
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| Defendants/Respondents |
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FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT
TO THE HONORABLE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT:
Come now ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, ALLSTATE INDEMNITY COMPANY,
ALLSTATE PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY (previously
misidentified as Allstate Personal Property & Casualty Company),
BOSTON OLD COLONY INSURANCE COMPANY, and THE GLENS FALL INSURANCE COMPANY,
hereinafter referred to as "Plaintiffs" and complain of RECEIVABLE
FINANCE COMPANY, L.L.C., ADVANCED MEDICAL SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS, P.L.L.C.,
and MARLON D. PADILLA, M.D., P.A., ACCIDENT & INJURY
PAIN CENTERS, INC. (d/b/a ACCIDENT & INJURY CHIROPRACTIC), ROBERT
SMITH, LONE STAR RADIOLOGY MANAGEMENT, L.L.C., WHITE ROCK OPEN AIR MRI,
L.L.C. (d/b/a WHITE ROCK OPEN MRI), NORTH TEXAS OPEN AIR MRI, L.L.C. (d/b/a
NORTH TEXAS OPEN AIR MRI, HARRIS COUNTY MRI and BEXAR COUNTY MRI), REHAB
2112, L.L.C., METROPLEX PAIN CENTERS, INC. (d/b/a LONE STAR RADIOLOGY),
LACIDEM MANAGEMENT, BS LIMOUSINE, L.L.C., STEVEN SMITH, TINA CHESHIRE,
THOMAS RHUDY, D.C., LOUIS SAUCEDO, D.C., JEFFREY CROCOLL, D.C., KENNETH
LUSTIK, DC, MARK RAYSHELL, D.C., LARRY PARENT, D.C., CHRISTOPHER HOLOWISKI,
D.C., CAREY FABACHER, D.C., PATRICIA JOHNSON, D.C., GHOLAMREZA ASSADOLAHI,
D.C., KYLE CAMPBELL, D.C., TAYANA STEFANOVIC, D.C., CHAD BLACKMON, D.C.,
RAMESH SANGHANI, D.C., MARLON PADILLA, M.D., JAMES LAUGHLIN, D.O., DOUGLAS
WOOD, D.O., DEE MARTINEZ, M.D., and MOHAMMAD BORGHEE (d/b/a FAMILY CARE
PHARMACY) hereinafter referred to collectively as "Defendants,"
and for such action would respectfully show the Court as follows:
I.
PREDICATE
- Plaintiffs seek to recover sums fraudulently
procured by Defendants from Plaintiffs since at least 1998, by means
of medical and chiropractic billings for unnecessary and unreasonable
treatment, examinations, diagnostic tests, and other services in regard
to persons involved in automobile collisions. Plaintiffs also
request relief under the Federal Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 United
States Code, Section 2201, to determine their duty to pay for purported
medical and chiropractic treatment of certain insureds, and third parties
making claim against insureds, and their right to recover such payments
previously made to Defendants.
- Plaintiffs would show this Honorable Court that Defendants are co-owned
or otherwise financially related. Patients were referred between various
Defendants for a set course of chiropractic treatment, diagnostic tests
and evaluation, medical consultation, and other services, regardless
of medical/chiropractic need and necessity. Defendants would then generate
narrative reports, itemized billing statements, and HCFA-1500 forms
based on the unnecessary treatment and diagnostic testing, to substantiate
the treatment and testing. These documents would be presented to automobile
insurers, such as Plaintiffs, through personal injury attorneys.
- Plaintiffs would also show Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C., acts
as a device for the lay employment of medical and osteopathic doctors,
and that Receivable Finance acts as a conduit for the billing and collection
of medical fees and the disbursement of the majority of these medical
fees to unlicensed lay persons and entities. Plaintiffs would, therefore,
show that Receivable Finance, in combination with other Defendants,
is engaged in the unauthorized and corporate practice of medicine, in
violation of the Texas Medical Practice Act and Texas common law. Therefore,
the contracts between Receivable Finance and various medical and osteopathic
doctors are illegal, void, against public policy, and unenforceable
against any person. Plaintiffs would further show that they are under
no obligation to pay the purported medical fees billed through Receivable
Finance, and that they are entitled to reimbursement from Receivable
Finance and other defendants for all such payments previously made.
- Plaintiffs would also show there has been a purported 2001 sale of
some assets of Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C. (which were gained
through the unauthorized practice of medicine) to Advanced Medical Systems
& Solutions, P.L.L.C., and/or Marlon D. Padilla, M.D., P.A. Plaintiffs
would further show that they are under no obligation to pay the purported
medical fees billed through Receivable Finance, and later assigned,
sold, or otherwise transferred to Advanced Medical Systems & Solutions,
P.L.L.C., and/or Marlon D. Padilla, M.D., P.A., and that they are entitled
to reimbursement for all such payments previously made.
II.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
- Pursuant to Title 28, United States Code, Section 1332(a), this Court
has subject matter jurisdiction because the amount in controversy in
regard to each of the Plaintiffs in this civil action exceeds $75,000.00,
exclusive of interest and costs (see paragraph 214 herein), Plaintiffs
are citizens and residents of the States of Illinois, Massachusetts,
and Delaware, and Defendants are citizens and residents of the State
of Texas (see paragraphs 7 through 44 herein). Plaintiffs would specifically
show that they are incorporated under the laws of the States of Illinois,
Massachusetts, or Delaware, and their principal places of business are
in the State of Illinois. Plaintiffs would specifically show that:
- Defendants Robert Smith, Thomas Rhudy,
D.C., Louis Saucedo, D.C., Jeffrey Crocoll, D.C., Kenneth
Lustik, D.C., Mark Rayshell, D.C., Larry Parent, D.C., Christopher
Holowiski, D.C., Carey Fabacher, D.C., Patricia Johnson, D.C., Gholamreza
Assadolahi, D.C., Kyle Campbell, D.C., Tayana Stefanovic, D.C.,
Chad Blackmon, D.C., Ramesh Sanghani, D.C., Marlon Padilla, M.D.,
James Laughlin, D.O., Douglas Wood, D.O., Dee Martinez, M.D., Steven
Smith, Tina Cheshire, and Mohammad Borghee are citizens and residents
of the State of Texas.
- Defendants Accident & Injury Pain
Centers, Inc., and Metroplex Pain Center, Inc. are corporations
incorporated under the laws of the State of Texas, and their principal
places of business are in the State of Texas.
- Defendants Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C., Advanced Medical
Systems, P.L.L.C., Lone Star Radiology, L.L.C., White Rock Open
Air MRI, L.L.C., North Texas Open Air MRI, L.L.C., Rehab 2112, L.L.C.,
and BS Limousine, L.L.C. are limited liability companies established
under the laws of the State of Texas.
- Defendant Marlon D. Padilla, M.D., P.A., is a professional association
established under the laws of the State of Texas, whose only member
is a citizen and resident of the State of Texas.
- Lacidem Management, L.P. is a limited partnership formed under
the laws of the State of Texas, whose partners are residents of
the State of Texas, with its principle place of business in the
State of Texas.
Plaintiffs would also show that all Defendants' principal places
of business are in the State of Texas. There are no other parties to
this civil suit other than those referenced above. Plaintiffs would
show that there is complete diversity of citizenship between themselves
and Defendants.
- Venue is proper in this District pursuant to Title 28, United States
Code, Section 1391 (a) and (c) in that a substantial part of the events
or omissions giving rise to the claims alleged herein occurred within
this District, and Defendants' principal offices are within this
District.
III.
PARTIES
- Plaintiff, ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, is a corporation incorporated
under the laws of Illinois, with its principal place of business in
Illinois.
- Plaintiff, ALLSTATE INDEMNITY COMPANY, is a corporation incorporated
under the laws of Illinois, with its principal place of business in
Illinois.
- Plaintiff, ALLSTATE PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY
(previously misidentified as Allstate Personal Property & Casualty
Company), is a corporation incorporated under the laws of Illinois,
with its principal place of business in Illinois.
- Plaintiff, BOSTON OLD COLONY INSURANCE COMPANY, is a corporation
incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts, with its principal place
of business in Illinois.
- Plaintiff, THE GLENS FALL INSURANCE COMPANY, is a corporation
incorporated under the laws of Delaware, with its principal place of
business in Illinois.
- Defendant, RECEIVABLE FINANCE COMPANY, L.L.C., (hereinafter
"Receivable Finance") is a limited liability company organized
under the laws of the State of Texas, with its principal place of business
in Dallas, Texas. Receivable Finance may be served through its registered
agent for service, Mr. Victor Zanetti, 1717 Main Street, Suite 4100,
Dallas, Texas 75201, or through its sole manager, Robert Smith,
8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231. Receivable Finance has
answered in this cause of action.
- Defendant, ADVANCED MEDICAL SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS, P.L.L.C.,
(hereinafter "Advanced Medical") is a professional limited
liability company organized under the laws of the State of Texas, with
its principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. Advanced Medical may
be served through its registered agent for service, Dr. Marlon Padilla
M.D., 381 Casa Linda Plaza, Suite 374, Dallas, Texas 75218-3423, or
7115 Lakeshore Drive, Dallas, Texas 75214. Respondent has answered in
this cause of action.
- Defendant, MARLON D. PADILLA, M.D., P.A., (hereinafter "Padilla
PA") is a professional association organized under the laws of
the State of Texas, with its principal place of business in Dallas,
Texas. Defendant's sole member, Marlon D. Padilla, is a citizen
and resident of the State of Texas. Padilla PA may be served through
its registered agent for service, Dr. Marlon Padilla, M.D., 381 Casa
Linda Plaza, Suite 374, Dallas, Texas 75218-3423, or 7115 Lakeshore
Drive, Dallas, Texas 75214. Padilla PA has answered in this cause of
action.
- Defendant, ACCIDENT & INJURY PAIN CENTERS,
INC., (hereinafter "Accident & Injury") is
a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Texas, with its
principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. Accident &
Injury may be served through its registered agent for service, Robert
Smith, 8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, ROBERT SMITH (hereinafter
"Robert Smith") is a resident of the State of Texas. Robert
Smith may be served at his place of business, 8080 Park Lane, Suite
500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, LONE STAR RADIOLOGY MANAGEMENT, L.L.C., (hereinafter
"Lone Star Radiology") is a limited liability company organized
under the laws of the State of Texas, with its principal place of business
in Dallas, Texas. Lone Star Radiology may be served through its sole
manager and registered agent for service, Robert Smith, 8080 Park Lane,
Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, WHITE ROCK OPEN AIR MRI, L.L.C., (hereinafter "White
Rock Open Air MRI") is a limited liability company organized under
the laws of the State of Texas, with its principal place of business
in Dallas, Texas. White Rock MRI may be served through its sole manager
and registered agent for service, Robert Smith, 8080 Park Lane, Suite
500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, NORTH TEXAS OPEN AIR MRI, L.L.C. (hereinafter "North
Texas Open Air MRI") is a limited liability company organized under
the laws of the State of Texas, with its principal place of business
in Dallas, Texas. North Texas MRI may be served through its sole manager
and registered agent for service, Robert Smith, 8080 Park Lane, Suite
500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, REHAB 2112, L.L.C., (hereinafter "Rehab 2112")
is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State
of Texas, with its principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. Rehab
2112 may be served through its sole manager and registered agent for
service, Robert Smith, 8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, METROPLEX PAIN CENTER, INC., (hereinafter "Metroplex
Pain") is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of
Texas, with its principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. Accident
& Injury may be served through its registered agent for service,
Robert Smith, 8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, LACIDEM MANAGMENT, (hereinafter "Lacidem Management")
is a limited partnership organized under the laws of the State of Texas,
with its principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. Lacidem
Management may be served through its registered agent for service, Steven
Smith, 8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, BS LIMOUSINE, L.L.C., (hereinafter "BS Limousine")
is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State
of Texas, with its principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. BS
Limousine may be served through its sole manager and registered agent
for service, Robert Smith, 8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas
75231.
- Defendant, STEVEN SMITH (hereinafter "Steven Smith")
is a resident of the State of Texas. Steven Smith may be served at his
place of business, 8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, TINA CHESHIRE, (hereinafter "Tina Cheshire"),
is a resident of the State of Texas. Tina Cheshire may be served at
her place of business, 8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, THOMAS RHUDY, D.C.,
(hereinafter "Dr. Rhudy"), is a resident of the State of Texas,
and is licensed to practice chiropractic in the State of Texas. Dr.
Rhudy may be served at his place of business, 8080 Park Lane, Suite
500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, LOUIS SAUCEDO, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Saucedo"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Saucedo may be served at his place of business,
8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, JEFFREY CROCOLL, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Crocoll"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Crocoll may be served at his residence, 427
Newberry, Grand Prairie, Texas 75052.
- Defendant, KENNETH LUSTIK, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Lustik"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Lustik may be served at his place of business,
8080 Park Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75231.
- Defendant, MARK RAYSHELL, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Rayshell"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Rayshell may be served at his place of business,
200 Wynnewood Village, Dallas, Texas 75208.
- Defendant, LARRY PARENT, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Parent"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Parent may be served at his place of business,
718 N. Buckner, Dallas, Texas 75218.
- Defendant, CHRISTOPHER HOLOWISKI, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr.
Holowiski"), is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed
to practice chiropractic in the State of Texas. Dr. Holowiski may be
served at his residence, 802 Rock Springs Drive, Richmond, Texas 77459.
- Defendant, CAREY FABACHER, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Fabacher"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Fabacher may be served at his residence,
6201 Automnwood Drive, Frisco, Texas 75035.
- Defendant, PATRICIA JOHNSON, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Johnson"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Johnson may be served at her residence, 4315
Falcon Perch Circle, Arlington, Texas 76001.
- Defendant, GHOLAMREZA ASSADOLAHI, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr.
Assadolahi"), is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed
to practice chiropractic in the State of Texas. Dr. Assadolahi may be
served at his residence, 4339 S. Capistrano Drive, Dallas, Texas 75287.
- Defendant, KYLE CAMPBELL, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Campbell"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Campbell may be served at his residence,
9107 Lasater Street, San Antonio, Texas 78254.
- Defendant, TAYANA STEFANOVIC, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr.
Stefanovic"), is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed
to practice chiropractic in the State of Texas. Dr. Stefanovic may be
served at her place of business, 601 W. Parker Road, No. 103, Plano,
Texas 75224.
- Defendant, CHAD BLACKMON, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Blackmon"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Blackmon may be served at his residence,
3408 Ruidosa Lane, McKinney. Texas 75070.
- Defendant, RAMESH SANGHANI, D.C., (hereinafter "Dr. Sanghani"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice chiropractic
in the State of Texas. Dr. Sanghani may be served at his place of business,
2223 S. Buckner, No. 245, Dallas, Texas.
- Defendant, MARLON PADILLA, M.D., (hereinafter "Dr. Padilla"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice medicine
in the State of Texas. Dr. Padilla may be served at his residence, 7115
Lakeshore Drive, Dallas, Texas 75214.
- Defendant, JAMES LAUGHLIN, D.O., (hereinafter "Dr. Laughlin"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice medicine
in the State of Texas. Dr. Laughlin may be served at his residence,
12516 Indian Creek Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76116.
- Defendant, DOUGLAS WOOD, D.O., (hereinafter "Dr. Wood"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice medicine
in the State of Texas. Dr. Wood may be served at his residence, 677
E. Muirfield, Garland, Texas 75044.
- Defendant, DEE MARTINEZ, M.D., (hereinafter "Dr. Martinez"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is licensed to practice medicine
in the State of Texas. Dr. Martinez may be served at his residence,
3638 Cripple Creek Drive, Dallas, Texas 75224, or at his place of business,
904 N. Ewing, Dallas, Texas 75203.
- Defendant, MOHAMMAD BORGHEE (hereinafter "Mohammad Borghee"),
is a resident of the State of Texas, and is a licensed pharmacist in
the State of Texas. Mohammad Borghee may be served at his residence,
3504 Dripping Springs, Plano, Texas 75025.
IV.
STATEMENT OF FACTS PERTINANT TO
ALL CAUSES HISTORY OF THE ENTERPRISE
A. Initial Business Formations
- Accident & Injury was incorporated in October 1990. Robert Smith
is the president/CEO and sole shareholder of Accident & Injury.
- Robert Smith is a layman, and has never been licensed as a chiropractor,
medical doctor, or other healthcare professional.
- Steven Smith is the vice president of Accident & Injury. Steven
Smith is a layman, and has never been licensed as a chiropractor, medical
doctor, or other healthcare professional.
- Tina Cheshire is the head of the Accident & Injury Collections
Department.
- In September 1991, Accident & Injury filed an Assumed Name
Certificate for an Unincorporated Business or Profession with the
Texas Secretary of State, certifying it was to conduct business under
the name "Accident & Injury Chiropractic." Robert Smith
signed the certificate as President of Accident & Injury
- In January 1992, the Articles of Incorporation of Metroplex Pain
were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Robert Smith was listed
as sole initial director. In an August 2001 deposition of Receivable
Finance in a Texas state court proceeding, Receivable Finance's
chief financial officer, Steven Lambert, (who testified he is also an
officer of Accident & Injury) admitted Metroplex Pain is wholly
owned by Accident & Injury.1
B. Expansion of Facilities (1998 to Present)
- Beginning in approximately 1998, a number of new Accident & Injury
chiropractic clinics have been opened in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston,
and San Antonio areas. Since that time, the number of clinics has approximately
doubled.
- In May 1998, Metroplex Pain filed an Assumed Name Certificate
for an Unincorporated Business or Profession with the Texas Secretary
of State and the Dallas County District Clerk, certifying it was to
conduct business in Dallas County under the name "Lone Star Radiology."
Robert Smith signed the certificates as President of Metroplex Pain.
In December 2000, the Articles of Organization of Lone Star Radiology
were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Robert Smith is listed
as sole manager of Lone Star Radiology.
- In August 1998, the Articles of Organization of White Rock Open Air
MRI were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Robert Smith is listed
as the sole manager of White Rock Open Air MRI. White Rock Open Air
MRI thereafter commenced operation of a MRI facility ("White Rock
Open MRI") in Dallas, Texas.
- In November 1998, the Articles of Organization of North Texas Open
Air MRI were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Robert Smith is
listed as the sole manager of North Texas Open Air MRI. North Texas
Open Air MRI thereafter commenced operation of a MRI facility ("North
Texas Open MRI") in Arlington, Texas.
- Also in November 1998, the Articles of Organization of Rehab 2112
were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Robert Smith is listed
as sole manager of Rehab 2112. Subsequently, Rehab 2112 facilities were
opened in Dallas, Arlington, and San Antonio.
- In 1998, Robert Smith appointed Dr. Rhudy as chief of staff and "compliance
officer" of Accident & Injury. Robert Smith also appointed
Dr. Rhudy as compliance officer for North Texas MRI, White Rock MRI,
and Rehab 2112.
- In 1999, Dr. Saucedo was appointed Accident & Injury's assistant
chief of staff.
- In March 1999, the Articles of Organization for Receivable Finance
were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Robert Smith is listed
as sole manager of Receivable Finance.
- Also in or around March 1999, Dr. Padilla and Dr. Laughlin began
to see Accident & Injury patients for 'second opinion'
medical consultations at the various chiropractic clinics, and "sell"
their medical fees from these consultations to Receivable Finance. Subsequently,
certain other medical doctors, including Dr. Wood, commenced similar
arrangements.
- In July 1999, Robert Smith appointed Dr. Crocoll as Accident &
Injury's "director of quality control" and head of the
"production department." In October 1999, Dr. Crocoll's
was redesignated Accident & Injury's Director of Operations.
- In March 2000, North Texas Open Air MRI filed two Assumed Name Certificates
with the Texas Secretary of State, certifying that it was to conduct
business under the name "Bexar County MRI" in Bexar County,
Texas, and "Harris County MRI" in Harris County, Texas. Robert
Smith signed both certificates as President of North Texas Open Air
MRI. North Texas Open Air MRI thereafter commenced operation of MRI
facilities in San Antonio and Houston, under those assumed names.
- In November 2000, the Articles of Organization for Metroplex Diagnostics,
L.L.C., were filed with the Texas Secretary of State. Robert Smith is
listed as sole manager of Metroplex Diagnostics.
- In January 2001, a Texas District Court ordered Receivable Finance
to produce a representative for deposition and to produce certain documents,
and Receivable Finance subsequently filed unsuccessful mandamus actions
against the deposition order in the Texas Court of Appeals and Texas
Supreme Court. In February 2001, Receivable Finance purportedly 'sold'
medical billings it held to a professional entity owned by Dr. Padilla.
- Also in February 2001, the Articles of Organization for Advanced
Medical were filed. The Articles show Dr. Padilla as sole manager and
organizer.
- Subsequent to February 2001, on information and belief, Advanced
Medical and/or Padilla PA have 'employed' medical doctors
who conduct 'second opinion' medical consultations at Accident
& Injury chiropractic clinics, and pay those medical doctors a percentage
of their fee. Advanced Medical and/or Padilla PA transfer money to Accident
& Injury through lease payments and possibly other 'service'
fees.
V.
PATTERN OF TREATMENT AND SELF REFERRALS
- Accident & Injury currently conducts business through nineteen
(19) chiropractic clinics in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, San Antonio
and Houston.
- Each of the Accident & Injury clinics is headed by a Clinic Director.
Clinic Directors during the period relevant to this lawsuit include
the following Defendants: Dr. Rayshell, Dr. Parent, Dr. Holowiski, Dr.
Fabacher, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Assadolahi, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Stefanovic,
Dr. Blackmon, and Dr. Sanghani (hereinafter, these defendants may be
referred to collectively as "the Clinic Director Defendants").
Dr. Saucedo was a Clinic Director prior to his appointment as Accident
& Injury's assistant chief of staff. The clinics also have
varying numbers of "associate doctors," who report to the
clinic directors.
- Accident & Injury's chief of staff, Dr. Rhudy, and assistant
chief of staff, Dr. Saucedo, office in Accident & Injury's
corporate headquarters, and 'oversee' the clinics. Dr. Rhudy
and Dr. Saucedo report directly to Robert Smith and Steven Smith. In
addition to being a Clinic Director, Dr. Rayshell also acts as an additional
supervisor of the other Clinic Directors.
- Accident & Injury treats a large volume of patients making bodily
injury claims as a result of automobile collisions. Claims made by these
patients to automobile insurers, such as Plaintiffs, show a near universal
pattern of patient treatment and referrals for diagnostic tests and
medical consultations. The referrals are made to co-owned diagnostic
entities, or to medical doctors employed by Accident & Injury or
its affiliated entities.
- As noted in greater detail in Section IV above, Accident & Injury
owner Robert Smith organized a number of diagnostic facilities and other
entities in the period 1998-2000. In the same period, an expansion of
the number of "Accident & Injury" chiropractic clinics
commenced. An organized and contrived pattern of treatment has subsequently
developed:
VI.
Solicitation of Patients
- Accident & Injury 'markets' itself to personal injury
attorneys. Accident & Injury Clinic Directors2, as well as its chief
of staff (Dr. Rhudy) and its assistant chief of staff (Dr. Saucedo),
appear free of charge to testify as experts on behalf of plaintiffs.
In recent (July 2002) trial testimony, Dr. Saucedo admitted he has testified
in approximately ten trials since January 2001 alone.3 Lengthy narrative
reports are provided to assist plaintiffs and their attorneys to settle
or litigate their claims. (As noted more fully herein, the reports make
standard findings of serious injuries, and that the injuries were caused
by "the accident that occurred on the above-referenced date").
Large numbers of persons involved in automobile collisions are referred
to Accident & Injury clinics by attorneys.
- Additionally, Accident & Injury aggressively markets itself to
persons who have been involved in automobile collisions. During the
relevant period, Accident & Injury advertisements advised such persons
that automobile insurance would cover 100% of their treatment costs.
Unrepresented persons who come to an Accident & Injury clinic are
directed by Accident & Injury personnel to a limited number of personal
injury attorneys.
- Attorneys or their representatives come to the chiropractic clinics
to 'sign up' patients as clients.
- In 2001 state court testimony, a former law office employee affirmed
that Accident & Injury chiropractors contacted the law office
when they had an unrepresented patient and asked the law office to
'fax over a contract.' Accident & Injury personnel then
had the patient sign the attorney employment contract and returned
the signed contract to the attorney.4
- In July 2002 state court trial testimony, Dr. Saucedo testified
that the Clinic Directors are in charge of referring Accident &
Injury patients to attorneys.5
- Defendants also maintain undisclosed standing agreements with cooperative
attorneys to 'rebate' or 'discount' medical and
chiropractic costs. The costs to be paid by such attorneys to Accident
& Injury, Receivable Finance and other Defendants upon settlement
of a case is significantly less than the fee cited in itemized billing
statements and HCFA-1500 forms generated by the Defendants, and which
are presented to Plaintiffs and other automobile insurers in demands
for settlement as necessary and reasonable charges.
VII.
Initial Narrative Reports
- An Initial Narrative Report is generated for all automobile
accident patients. The initial narrative reports for all Accident &
Injury clinics are generated at Accident & Injury's corporate
office in Dallas. Dr. Crocoll and, subsequently, Dr. Saucedo head the
"production department" that produces these reports. The reports
are based on patient intake documents and pre-printed paragraphs in
the computer, and not on dictation from a chiropractor seeing the patient.
- The initial narrative reports bear the name of the Clinic Director
of the particular Accident & Injury clinic, although the Clinic
Director may not have been the chiropractor who examined the patient.
The initial narrative reports are not signed.
- The initial narrative reports contain a patient identification number.
A new number is assigned for each accident, i.e., if a patient treated
at Accident & Injury previously for another accident, the identification
number would be different.
- The initial narrative report's "Past History" section
almost always represents:
"Past history is non-contributory. The patient denies any
significant history of same or similar condition. Prior to this
incident the patient states that she was enjoying a good state of
health."
The paragraph has been included in instances where available records
refute it, and even in some cases where the patient has previously treated
at an Accident & Injury clinic. In 2002 state court testimony, Accident
& Injury's former director of operations, Dr. Crocoll admitted
this history is a 'default' paragraph.6
- In other instances where the patient has previously treated at Accident
& Injury, the "Past History" section is deleted, in order
to deceive observers by concealing the fact of the prior treatment.
- The initial narrative reports' "Initial Impression"
section, contains standard paragraphs opining the existence of:
"Traumatic injury of the cervical [lumbar, or thoracic] spine
with tearing of the regional connective tissues including muscles,
tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, joint capsules, and nerves; with
subsequent . . ."
These paragraphs are followed by a string of short, standardized supposed
conditions, such as "discitis," "myositis," "joint
stiffness," muscle spasm," "nerve root irritation,"
and "segmental dysfunction." In most instances, these "impressions"
cannot be supported by clinical documentation.
- The initial narrative reports' "Treatment Plan & Recommendations"
section almost always call for electrical muscle stimulation, "cryotherapy,"
and "intersegmental traction," and represent the patient requires
x-rays, MRIs, and medical doctor consultation.
VIII.
X-rays/Lone Star Radiology
- Virtually all motor vehicle accident patients receive x-rays at the
Accident & Injury clinic during their initial visit. This includes
cases where the patient was already x-rayed at another facility. The
x-rays are purportedly evaluated by an Accident & Injury chiropractor,
and Accident & Injury bills for the entire procedure both
for the technical and professional components. Often, there is no documentation
at all that the charged professional component was performed; for example,
there is no x-ray report completed by the Accident & Injury chiropractor.
At other times, a cursory one-page form "report," using circles
and checkmarks, is made.
- In virtually all cases, Accident & Injury represents the x-ray
films require a second review by a chiropractic radiologist. The x-ray
films are then referred to Lone Star Radiology. In June 2002 state court
deposition testimony, Dr. Rayshell admitted all x-ray films sent for
review went to Lone Star Radiology.7 The referral is typically made the
same day as the patient's initial visit to the Accident & Injury
clinic.
- While on its face it would appear Lone Star Radiology is an independent
facility, as noted above, it is in fact a related entity to Accident
& Injury and owned by Robert Smith. From May 1998 to December 2000,
"Lone Star Radiology" was merely a "dba" of Metroplex
Pain. In December 2000, Lone Star Radiology Management, L.L.C., was
formed, with Robert Smith as sole manager.
- Dr. Lustik interprets the vast majority of these x-rays. Lone Star
Radiology/Dr. Lustik's office is located within Accident &
Injury's corporate headquarters, at 8080 Park Lane, Dallas. In
2002 state court deposition testimony,8 Dr. Lustik admitted:
- He is an Accident & Injury employee.
- Lone Star Radiology had no clerical staff of its own, and the
only employees were himself and Dr. Tamara Uptigrove, D.C. The only
other employee Lone Star Radiology ever had was Dr. Kenneth Hanson,
D.C.
- Accident & Injury provides him with the x-ray films to read.
- Lone Star Radiology's business was limited to reading films
from Accident & Injury clinics.
- Accident & Injury generates Lone Star Radiology's billings
and reports, and maintains Lone Star Radiology's records.
- Accident & Injury's billing department collects Lone
Star Radiology's fees.
- A report is subsequently issued under Lone Star Radiology's name,
which also represents that Dr. Lustik is the proprietor or chief executive
of the company. As noted above, the report is in fact generated by Accident
& Injury, and Dr. Lustik is an employee of Accident & Injury.
- The Lone Star Radiology charge for interpretation of the x-ray films
is in addition to the billing for the same professional component function
billed by Accident & Injury, in its own name. Therefore, there is
a routine duplication of service and billing.
IX.
MRI Referral and Interpretation
- Accident & Injury almost always refers an automobile accident
patient for a MRI or MRIs, regardless of the patient's purported
symptoms. The MRI referral is almost always made during the patient's
initial visit to Accident & Injury. Therefore, no opportunity is
given for conservative treatment to succeed or fail. Additionally, there
is no opportunity for return and review of the 'second opinion'
radiology report from Lone Star Radiology.
- In most cases, multiple MRIs are ordered.
- Standing agreements exist between Accident & Injury and some cooperative
personal injury attorneys in regard to the number of MRIs that may automatically
be conducted on those attorneys' clients, and when further permission
of the law office must be obtained. Thus, MRI determinations are based
on claims presentation, and not medical necessity.
- In a deposition conducted in the present case, former Accident
& Injury 'collections department' employee L. Caprice
Garcia testified of the existence of such agreements. For example,
she testified certain law offices had agreements with Accident &
Injury that two MRIs could be conducted of their clients without
seeking approval of the law office. When authorization was needed,
lay Accident & Injury corporate office personnel, such as Steve
Smith and George Villaponda, would contact the law office.
- Ms. Garcia also testified that, on some occasions where Accident
& Injury sought attorney permission to conduct MRIs, the attorney's
office would determine (based on the low impact of a collision)
that the MRIs would hinder their ability to negotiate the claim,
and would disallow further MRIs. In cases where permission for MRIs
was sought, lay Accident & Injury corporate office personnel,
such as Steve Smith, would advise the clinic of how many MRIs could
be performed for a particular patient.
- Patients in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are referred to either White
Rock Open MRI or North Texas Open MRI. Houston area patients are referred
to Harris County MRI, and San Antonio area patients are referred to
Bexar County MRI.
- As noted herein, all four of these facilities are owned by Robert
Smith.
- A single physician, Dr. Martinez, interprets the vast majority of
the MRI scans from these four facilities (which in turn conduct the
MRIs for all nineteen Accident & Injury clinics).
- From 1999 through at least January 2001, Dr. Martinez transferred
his professional medical fee for his evaluation of MRIs conducted at
White Rock Open MRI, North Texas Open MRI, Harris County MRI, and Bexar
County MRI, to Receivable Finance. Receivable Finance collected Dr.
Martinez's fee. Receivable Finance (pursuant to the 2001 state court
testimony of its CFO) paid Dr. Martinez seven percent (7%) of his medical
fee, which equated to $20 for a $300 charge.9
X.
Medical Doctor Consultation
A. Referral for 'Second Opinion' Consultation
- Accident & Injury virtually always refers an automobile accident
patient to a medical doctor (M.D. or D.O.) for "second opinion"
medical examination. The medical doctor referral is almost always made
during the patient's initial visit to Accident & Injury.
- There are a limited number of medical doctors to whom the patients
are referred, including (during the relevant period) Dr. Padilla, Dr.
Laughlin, and Dr. Wood. Dr. Padilla's entire practice consists
of seeing Accident & Injury referrals.
- Robert Smith and Steven Smith are personally involved in the recruitment
and selection of these medical doctors.
- The "second opinion" medical examinations are typically
conducted at the various Accident & Injury chiropractic clinics,
rather than the medical doctor's own office. In state court deposition
testimony, Dr. Padilla admitted that he did not maintain an examination
office of his own. Accident & Injury provides one of its employees
to assist the medical doctor in these examinations.
- Medical doctors from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, including Dr. Padilla,
Dr. Laughlin, and Dr. Wood, have traveled to San Antonio and Houston
to perform 'second opinion' examinations at the Accident & Injury
clinics in those cities.
- The 'second opinion' examinations are cursory. The number of patients
these medical doctors purportedly "examine" is ridiculous.
For example:
- In late 2000 state court depositions, Dr. Padilla testified 98-100%
of his patients were Accident & Injury referrals, he sees 150
to 200 patients per week at Accident & Injury chiropractic clinics
in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Houston, and San Antonio.10 Dr.
Padilla testified that he usually went to two Accident & Injury
clinics a day.
- Dr. Padilla also testified that he introduced Dr. Douglas Wood
to Robert Smith, and that Dr. Wood probably saw about the same number
of patients he (Padilla) sees.11
- In recent state court trial testimony (December 2001), Dr. Padilla
testified that 99% of his professional association's patients
were Accident & Injury referrals. Dr. Padilla personally saw
6,000 to 7,200 Accident & Injury referral patients over the
prior year; his professional association as a whole had seen 12,000
to 14,000 Accident & Injury patients over the past year.12
- In a 2001 state court deposition, Dr. Laughlin testified he examined
40-60 patients a day at an Accident & Injury clinic; sometimes
he saw up to eighty patients.13 He also testified he saw
patients at San Antonio and Houston clinics.
- In a September 2001 state court deposition, Dr. Wood testified
he examined up to thirty or forty Accident & Injury patients
a day. Dr. Wood testified that he went to all the Accident &
Injury clinics, including the ones in Houston and San Antonio, to
conduct the examinations.14
- The 'second opinion' examinations referenced above are typically
billed from $210 to $425, under CPT code 99243, although the medical
doctor could not possibly expend the time required for such an examination,
given the enormous volume of patients "examined."
- Often, subsequent to the initial 'second opinion' medical consult,
Accident & Injury will refer the patient to another one of the involved
medical doctors for a further consultation examination.
- Accident & Injury generates the medical doctor reports for these
examinations, and maintains the medical records.
- In state court deposition, Dr. Padilla testified Accident &
Injury generates his narrative reports and his patient files are
maintained at 8080 Park Lane (which is the corporate headquarters
of Accident & Injury).15
- Dr. Padilla testified he developed a "template" system
for use during the medical examinations, in which preprinted items
are circled or lined through. He developed the system after Robert
Smith expressed concern that medical narrative reports were not
being generated quickly enough.16
- Dr. Padilla testified that circling or lining through an item
on the template led to a transcriptions entering a macro that entered
an entire sentence in the narrative report. In an October 2000 deposition,
Dr. Padilla testified that "each word that's circled is
a sentence."17 In a 2002 deposition, Dr. Padilla
testified "neck pain" on the template was translated as
"the patient was complaining of neck pain and spasm" in
the medical narrative report.18
- In 2002 state deposition testimony, Dr. Padilla admitted that
the assistant actually made many of the template entries.19
- The 'template' contains numerous entries for MRI recommendations,
but not for other diagnostic tests, such as CAT scans Dr.
Padilla admitted this was so because Accident & Injury 'preferred'
MRIs; he also admitted Accident & Injury 'preferred'
White Rock and North Texas MRI.20
- In a state court deposition, Dr. Padilla also testified he signs
as many as fifty of the Accident & Injury generated narratives
at a time, and that he only 'spot checked' ten percent
of the reports.21
- In a 2001 state court deposition, Dr. Laughlin testified Dr. Rhudy
gave him a template he was to use for patient examinations. He was
pressured to include standard 'causation' findings in
his reports, attributing injuries to the particular accident at
issue. Reports generated by Accident & Injury often contained
additions not included in his templates or dictation; particularly
concerning causation and future medical needs.22
- Dr. Laughlin has testified that Robert Smith and Accident & Injury
personnel requested him to make fraudulent medical findings, going as
far as to request him to make bogus surgical recommendations. More specifically,
Dr. Laughlin testified:
- Dr. Padilla approached him and advised he was relaying a message
from Robert Smith Robert Smith's message to Dr. Laughlin
was that he was to recommend at least ten percent of the Accident
& Injury patients he saw for surgery, if he wished to continue
seeing Accident & Injury patients.23
- Dr. Rhudy requested he make standard 'causation' findings
in regard to all Accident & Injury patients, attributing their
supposed injuries to the particular accident at issue.24
- In one instance, one of Dr. Laughlin's medical reports was
critical of Accident & Injury's referral of a patient to
Dr. Martinez for an epideral steroid injection. An Accident &
Injury Clinic Director contacted Dr. Laughlin, complained 'you
just killed the attorney's case,' and demanded Dr. Laughlin
withdraw the report. Later, Dr. Rhudy also contacted Dr. Laughlin
to request he withdraw the report.25
- In the vast majority of the cases, the patient did not see the medical
doctor after the one time "consultation examination." Despite
the fact that the patient is generally prescribed medication, there
is usually no follow-up with the prescribing physician.
- The medical narrative report generally states the patient is not recommended
for continuing medical care, but is returned for chiropractic treatment.
This occurs even where there is purportedly a suspected disc herniation.
- The medical doctor will generally prescribe medications for the patient.
The prescriptions are filled at a limited number of 'captive'
pharmacies, particularly Family Care Pharmacy. The prescriptions are
delivered to the patients by the mail or Federal Express, and the patients
never speak with a pharmacist. The charges billed by Family Care Pharmacy
for the prescriptions greatly exceed the charges that would be billed
by an average pharmacy where patients could go in person to fill the
prescription. Dr. Padilla has admitted he negotiated the relationship
between Accident & Injury and Family Care Pharmacy.26
- The involved medical doctors split their professional medical fees
with other lay Defendants.
- From 1999 through at least mid 2001, the involved medical doctors
transferred their professional medical fees for these 'second
opinion' consultations to Receivable Finance. Receivable Finance
collected the medical fees, and paid the medical doctors a small
percentage (11-18%) or flat fee.
- On information and belief, subsequent to February 2001, the involved
medical doctors have transferred their professional medical fees
for these 'second opinion' consultations to other lay
Defendants through Advanced Medical and/or Padilla PA, under the
guise of lease fees and possibly other service fees. In a recent
(April 2002) state court deposition, Dr. Padilla testified that
Dr. Wood and other physicians work for him, and that he (Padilla)
'leased' space from all the Accident & Injury chiropractic
clinics.27
XI.
Chiropractic Treatment and Therapy Modalities
- Automobile accident patients almost always receive a set course of
office visits and three therapy modalities at the Accident & Injury
clinic, described in Accident & Injury reports as "Cyrotherapy"
(which consists of the application of hot/cold packs), "electrical
muscle stimulation," and "intersegmental traction" (which
consists of lying on a 'roller table'). These are billed as
"hot/cold packs," "manual therapy," and ""EMS
(Unattended)" in itemized billing statements.
- Chiropractic adjustments by Accident & Injury chiropractors are
routinely characterized as a combination of "problem focused"
and "manual therapy" in itemized billing statements, under
CPT Codes 99212 and 97140, and billed for a total charge of $77.00.
On the other hand, CPT codes specifically relating to chiropractic manipulation,
such as 98940, 98941, 98942, and 98943, are not used in Accident &
Injury billings.
- Patients are treated in a large common room, and timers are used to
advise Accident & Injury personnel when to move patients among the
various treating tables. Generally, each modality lasts about 10 minutes.
At the sound of the bell, the patients move from one treatment modality
to the next.
- This course of treatment and modalities generally last two to three
months.
XII.
Possible Further Referrals
- On occasion, Accident & Injury refers automobile accident patients
to Metroplex Diagnostics or Rehab 2112. As noted herein, both entities
are also owned by Robert Smith.
- On information and belief, Accident & Injury routinely refers
its workers compensation patients to Metroplex Diagnostics and Rehab
2112.
XIII.
Narrative Report Generation
- Accident & Injury issues a Final Narrative Report for virtually
all automobile accident patients. The final narrative reports for all
Accident & Injury clinics are also generated at Accident & Injury's
corporate office in Dallas. A charge of $150 is assessed for the report.
- The final narrative reports are repetitive of the initial narrative
reports. The history, past history, and complaints portions are 'block
and copies' of the same sections of the initial narrative report.
Likewise, the "Initial Impression" and "Treatment Plan
and Recommendations" sections of the initial narrative report are
repeated as the "Final Diagnosis" and "Treatment"
sections of the final narrative report.
- As noted above, the "Initial Impression" section of
the initial narrative report contains standard findings of: "Traumatic
injury of the cervical [lumbar, or thoracic] spine with tearing
of the regional connective tissues including muscles, tendons, ligaments,
blood vessels, joint capsules, and nerves; with subsequent . . ."
- The verbatim language is repeated as a "final diagnosis,"
even in cases where all MRI findings are normal and show no tearing
of such connective tissues.
- The final narrative reports contain standard "Discussion,"
"Prognosis," and "Future Medical" sections. These
sections are drawn from preprinted paragraphs at Accident & Injury's
corporate office. Accident & Injury Clinic Directors complete a
one-page interdepartmental memo (which is not retained in the patient's
record), and write in code selections such as "4C" or "3L"
for the discussion section, and a number such as "2" or "3"
for the prognosis and future medical sections. Accident & Injury
corporate office employees generating the reports enter these codes
to obtain the pre-printed selection.
- These sections contain apparent specific references to the patient's
supposed condition, and often contain citation to medical and chiropractic
authority, in order to give the appearance that a treating chiropractor
conducted an extensive evaluation of the patient and dictated the report.
In reality, as noted above, the sections are drawn from a limited number
of selections.
- As with the initial narrative report, the final narrative report contains
the signature block of the Clinic Director. The Clinic Director's
stamped signature is placed on the report. However, the Clinic Director
may have seen the particular patient sporadically, or not at all. Often,
the identity of chiropractors who purportedly treated the patient cannot
be ascertained from Accident & Injury treatment records. In some
instances, the Clinic Directors themselves have been unable to determine
what chiropractors purportedly treated the patient, although the same
Clinic Director will attest in HCFA-1500 forms that the chiropractic
services were performed.
- The final narrative reports generally relate that the patient's
injuries are of a long term or permanent nature and/or that the patient
will henceforth be predisposed to other injury. The final narrative
reports generally represent the patient will require continuing care
over eight to twelve months, and represent the patient will incur several
thousand dollars in cost for care during that period.
- Virtually all Accident & Injury final narrative reports for automobile
accident patients conclude with an "Opinion" section that
reads:
"It is my opinion, based upon the history as presented
by the patient, the above noted examination and test findings, that
the injuries sustained by the patient were within a reasonable medical
probability sustained as a result of the accident that occurred on
the above-referenced date."
Dr. Crocoll, the former head of the Accident & Injury production
department that generates these reports, has admitted the Opinion section
was a 'default' paragraph, and there were no alternative selections.28
XIV.
ASSUMPTION OF INTEREST IN CLAIMS AND LAWSUITS
- Accident & Injury purportedly takes an "irrevocable"
assignment and transfer of an undivided interest in any claim or cause
of action made by automobile collision patients. In 2001 state court
testimony, Dr. Holowiski testified that Accident & Injury requires
its patients to sign these purported assignments.29
- In 2001 and 2002 state court trials, Accident & Injury chiropractors,
including chief of staff Dr. Rhudy30 and Clinic Directors Dr. Parent31 and
Dr. Fabacher32, have admitted that Accident & Injury has a financial
interest in the plaintiff's lawsuit.
XV.
THEORIES OF LIABILITY AND CAUSES OF ACTION SINGLE BUSINESS ENTERPRISE
DOCTRINE
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 123 above.
- Plaintiffs would show that the following entities constitute a "single
business enterprise" as defined by Texas law: Accident & Injury,
Receivable Finance, Lone Star Radiology, Metroplex Pain, White Rock
Open Air MRI, North Texas Open Air MRI, Rehab 2112, Lacidem Management,
and BS Limousine.
- Plaintiffs would show that Robert Smith owns all these entities.
- The entities share common offices. For example:
- Receivable Finance is located within Accident & Injury's
corporate office at 8080 Park Lane, Dallas, Texas.
- Lone Star Radiology is located within the same corporate office
(although in some documents, Lone Star Radiology also uses the physical
address of White Rock Open MRI).
- Receivable Finance, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI,
and North Texas Open Air MRI share the same PO Box for billing purposes.
- The entities share common officers and employees. For example:
- Documents filed with the State of Texas, and past state court
testimony, establish that Robert Smith is the president/CEO of at
least the following: Accident & Injury, Metroplex Pain, Receivable
Finance, and North Texas Open Air MRI.
- Steven Lambert is chief operations officer of Accident & Injury,
and chief financial officer of Accident & Injury, Receivable
Finance, Lone Star Radiology, Metroplex Pain, White Rock Open Air
MRI, and North Texas Open Air MRI.
- Receivable Finance's sole employee, Brigitta Naughton, is
also employed by Accident & Injury as its office manager.
- Dr. Thomas Rhudy, D.C., is compliance officer for Accident &
Injury, White Rock Open Air MRI, North Texas Open Air MRI, Metroplex
Diagnostics, and Rehab 2112. In December 2001 state court trial
testimony, Dr. Rhudy testified that his position as compliance officer
of North Texas Open Air MRI is "part of my job through Accident
& Injury."33
- Employees and officers of one entity are paid by another. For example,
Mr. Lambert testified that he was only paid by Accident & Injury;
however, he also testified he was an officer of Receivable Finance,
Lone Star Radiology, North Texas Open Air MRI, and White Rock Open Air
MRI.34
- Services are rendered by one entity on behalf of another. For example:
- Receivable Finance has only one employee (who it shares with Accident
& Injury), and other Accident & Injury officers and employees,
such as Steven Smith and Tina Cheshire, performed billing and collection
services on behalf of Receivable Finance.
- Lone Star Radiology has no clerical employees of its own, and
Accident & Injury employees perform billing and collections
services, report generation, and document maintenance, for Lone
Star Radiology.
- Accident & Injury's records department maintains the
records of entities such as Lone Star Radiology, Receivable Finance,
and North Texas Open Air MRI.
- Discovery in this case to date reflects that Receivable Finance has
transferred and/or received large sums of funds from and/or to the following
entities: Accident & Injury, Lone Star Radiology, Metroplex Pain,
White Rock Open Air MRI, North Texas Open Air MRI, Rehab 2112, Lacidem
Management, and BS Limousine.
- The Accident & Injury collections department, headed by Tina Cheshire,
also collects billings for related entities such as Receivable Finance,
Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI, and North Texas Open Air
MRI. Tina Cheshire arbitrarily assigns funds arriving to the collections
department to the various entities' accounts, and thereby commingles
the funds.
- Pursuant to the Single Business Enterprise doctrine, these entities
have integrated their resources to achieve a common business purpose.
Therefore, in addition to any individual liability for particular acts
as set forth further in this complaint, the members of the Single Business
Enterprise are jointly and severally liable for the acts and liabilities
of the other constituent entities.
XVI.
STATUTORY VIOLATIONS
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 132 above.
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants have violated numerous provisions
of the Texas Occupations Code. These violations are pertinent to the
remaining causes of action asserted by Plaintiffs herein.
A. Texas Occupations Code § 101.203 (and former Article 4512p,
§5(b))
- Section 101.203 of the Texas Occupations Code mandates that "A
health care provider may not violate Section 311.0025, Health and Safety
Code." Section 311.0025(a) consist of the following prohibition:
- A hospital, treatment facility, mental health facility, or health
care professional may not submit to a patient or a third party payor
a bill for a treatment that the hospital, facility, or professional
knows was not provided or knows was improper, unreasonable, or medically
or clinically unnecessary.
- The predecessor Texas law, Revised Civil Statute Article 4512p, §5(b),
which was in effect until September 1, 1999, mandated that "A health
care professional may not persistently or flagrantly overcharge or overtreat
a patient."
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Accident & Injury, Metroplex
Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI, North Texas Open
Air MRI, Dr. Rhudy, Dr. Saucedo, Dr. Lustik, Dr. Rayshell, Dr. Parent,
Dr. Holowiski, Dr. Fabacher, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Assadolahi, Dr. Campbell,
Dr. Stefanovic, Dr. Blackmon, Dr. Sanghani, Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin,
Dr. Wood, and Dr. Martinez have violated §101.203 and Article 4512p,
§5(b). Plaintiffs would show these Defendants have submitted bills
for medical and chiropractic treatment, x-ray evaluations, MRIs, MRI
evaluation, and medical consultations that they knew was improper, unreasonable,
or medically or clinically unnecessary.
- Specifically, Plaintiffs would show the treatment and referrals between
these Defendants was based on enriching the common enterprise between
these Defendants, rather than on reasonableness and necessity of treatment
and diagnostic tests. Accident & Injury, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star
Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI, and North Texas Open Air MRI share
a common ownership. Dr. Rhudy, Dr. Saucedo, Dr. Lustik, Dr. Rayshell,
Dr. Parent, Dr. Holowiski, Dr. Fabacher, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Assadolahi,
Dr. Campbell, Dr. Stefanovic, Dr. Blackmon, and Dr. Sanghani are supervisory
personnel of Accident & Injury, Lone Star Radiology, and/or the
MRI entities. Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin, Dr. Wood, and Dr. Martinez
became defacto employees of Defendants Robert Smith, Receivable Finance,
and Accident & Injury, with Receivable Finance billing and collecting
their professional medical fees for referrals from Accident & Injury,
and retaining the vast majority of the professional fee. Due to these
interrelationships, virtually all patients are referred for second opinion
x-ray review, MRIs, and second opinion medical consultations.
- Furthermore, Accident & Injury treats patients pursuant to a set
pattern, rather than any determination of patient need. Accident &
Injury bills for routine office visits, electrical stimulation, application
of hot/cold packs, and for "intersegmental traction," which
consists of merely lying on a 'roller table' for a short period
of time. Accident & Injury Clinic Directors and former Clinic Directors,
such as Dr. Saucedo, Dr. Rayshell, Dr. Parent, Dr. Holowiski, Dr. Fabacher,
Dr. Johnson, Dr. Assadolahi, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Stefanovic, Dr. Blackmon,
and Dr. Sanghani, facilitate the improper, unreasonable, and unnecessary
billings by ascribing their names to HCFA-1500 forms, or by allowing
their names to be ascribed on the forms.
- Additionally, the chiropractic costs are inflated through use of particular
CPT codes, for example, using a combination of CPT codes 99212 and 97140,
rather than a common chiropractic manipulation code such as CPT code
98940. Likewise, the medical doctors at issue, including Dr. Padilla,
Dr. Laughlin, and Dr. Wood charge excessive amounts by routinely billing
under code 99243, although the medical doctors could not possibly expend
the time needed with each patient to perform such an examination, given
the incredible volume of patients they purportedly examine.
B. Texas Occupations Code § 102.001 (and former Health
& Safety Code §161.091(a))
- Section 102.001 of the Texas Occupations Code concerns solicitation
of patients. Subsection (a) states:
"A person commits an offense if the person knowingly
offers to pay or agrees to accept, directly or indirectly, overtly
or covertly any remuneration in cash or in kind to or from another
for securing or soliciting a patient or patronage for or from a person
licensed, certified, or registered by a state health care regulatory
agency."
- The predecessor Texas law, Health & Safety Code §161.091(a),
which was in effect until September 1, 1999, contained an almost identical
prohibition.
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Robert Smith, Accident &
Injury, and Receivable Finance have violated the above statutes by offering
to accept, as a matter of routine, undisclosed remuneration from personal
injury attorneys, in the form of set discounted payments, in order to
solicit patients for Accident & Injury clinics.
- Plaintiffs would show that that Defendants Robert Smith, Accident
& Injury, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air
MRI, North Texas Open Air MRI, Receivable Finance, Dr. Rhudy, Dr. Saucedo,
Dr. Lustik, Dr. Rayshell, Dr. Parent, Dr. Holowiski, Dr. Fabacher, Dr.
Johnson, Dr. Assadolahi, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Stefanovic, Dr. Blackmon,
Dr. Sanghani, Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin, Dr. Wood, and Dr. Martinez
have violated the above statutes in the manner in which patients are
referred between these entities. Defendants Robert Smith and Accident
& Injury, with the assistance of Clinic Directors such as the Clinic
Director Defendants named herein, 'self refer' Accident &
Injury patients to Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open
Air MRI, and North Texas Open Air MRI, and in return the fees of those
entities are returned to the common ownership of these entities. Defendants
Robert Smith and Accident & Injury, with the assistance of Clinic
Directors such as the Clinic Director Defendants named herein, refer
patients to Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin, Dr. Wood, Dr. Martinez, and certain
other medical doctors; in exchange, Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin, Dr. Wood,
and Dr. Martinez (as well as other physicians to whom patients were
referred) transferred the vast majority of their professional fees to
Receivable Finance, which in turn transfers the money to Accident &
Injury, Robert Smith, and other Defendants (including Lone Star Radiology,
Metroplex Pain, White Rock Open Air MRI, North Texas Open Air MRI, Rehab
2112, Lacidem, and BS Limousine).
C. Texas Occupations Code § 102.051 (and former Article 4505a).
- Section 102.051 of the Texas Occupations Code also concerns solicitation
of patients, in regard to persons practicing the art of healing, other
than medical doctors. A person commits an offense if they practice the
art of healing, with or without the use of medicine, and "employ
or agrees to employ, pays or promises to pay, or rewards or promises
to reward another for soliciting or securing a patient or patronage."
The statute also states "A person commits an offense if the person
accepts or agrees to accept anything of value for soliciting or securing
a patient or patronage for a person who practices the art of healing
with or without the use of medicine."
- Former Article 4505a of the Revised Civil Statutes, in effect until
September 1999, was essentially the same as the current Occupations
Code § 102.051.
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Robert Smith, Accident &
Injury, and Receivable Finance have violated the above statutes by offering
to accept, as a matter of routine, undisclosed remuneration from personal
injury attorneys, in the form of set discounted payments, in order to
solicit patients for Accident & Injury clinics.
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Robert Smith, Accident &
Injury, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI,
North Texas Open Air MRI, and Receivable Finance have violated the above
statutes in the manner in which patients are referred between these
entities. Defendants Robert Smith and Accident & Injury, with the
assistance of Clinic Directors such as the Clinic Director Defendants
named herein, 'self refer' Accident & Injury patients
to Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI, and
North Texas Open Air MRI, and in return the fees of those entities are
returned to the common ownership of these entities.
D. Texas Occupations Code § 102.006(and former Health & Safety
Code §161.092(a)).
- Section 102.006 of the Texas Occupations Code concerns failures to
disclose in regard to affiliations with other health care entities.
A violation of the statute occurs if one accepts remuneration to secure
or solicit a patient in a manner permitted under §102.001, and
does not at the time of the initial contact and at the time of the referral,
disclose to the patient (1) the person's affiliation, if any, with
the person for whom the patient is secured or solicited, and (2) that
the person will receive, directly or indirectly, remuneration for securing
or soliciting the patient.
- Former Health & Safety Code §161.092(a), which was effective
until September 1999, is almost identical to the current Occupations
Code § 102.006.
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Robert Smith, Accident &
Injury, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI,
and North Texas Open Air MRI have violated the above statutes in the
manner in which patients are referred between these entities. Specifically,
automobile collision patients are referred by Accident & Injury
to (1) Metroplex Pain or Lone Star Radiology, (2) an MRI facility that
is a d/b/a of either White Rock Open Air MRI or North Texas Open Air
MRI, (3) to Dr. Martinez for a reading of the MRI, and (4) a medical
doctor or doctors, such as Dr. Padilla and/or Dr. Laughlin, for 'second
opinion' medical consultations. At times, automobile accident patients
are also referred to Rehab 2112 and Metroplex Diagnostics (although
referrals to those entities appear to be limited, for the most part,
to worker's compensation patients).
- Accident & Injury, and its chiropractors such as the Clinic Director
Defendants named herein, do not disclose that Accident & Injury
is affiliated with the entities to whom its chiropractors refer patients.
Accident & Injury and its chiropractors and other employees do not
advise that Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open MRI, North Texas Open
MRI, Harris County MRI, and Bexar County MRI are owned by Accident &
Injury owner Robert Smith, or are "d/b/a's" of such co-owned
entities. Accident & Injury and its chiropractors and employees
do not disclose that the medical doctors to whom patients are referred,
such as Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin, and/or Dr. Wood, and the medical
doctor evaluating the MRIs, Dr. Martinez, are the defacto employees
of Receivable Finance, another entity owned by Robert Smith. They do
not disclose that money from the fees generated by these referrals,
including the medical doctor referrals, is returned to Accident &
Injury or Robert Smith.
E. Texas Occupations Code § 105.002
- Section 102.006 of the Texas Occupations Code concerns unprofessional
conduct. It prohibits a healthcare provider, in connection with the
providers professional activities, from knowingly presenting (or causing
to be presented) a false or fraudulent claim for the payment of a loss
under an insurance policy. It further prohibits a health care provider,
in connection with its professional activities, from knowingly preparing,
making, or subscribing to any writing, with the intent to present or
use the writing, or allow it to be presented or used, in support of
a false or fraudulent claim under an insurance policy.
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Accident & Injury, Receivable
Finance, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI,
North Texas Open Air MRI, Dr. Rhudy, Dr. Saucedo, Dr. Lustik, Dr. Rayshell,
Dr. Parent, Dr. Holowiski, Dr. Fabacher, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Assadolahi,
Dr. Campbell, Dr. Stefanovic, Dr. Blackmon, Dr. Sanghani, Dr. Padilla,
Dr. Laughlin, Dr. Wood, and Dr. Martinez, have violated the above statute.
Specifically, these Defendants produce, or cause to be produced, various
reports, itemized billing statements, and HCFA-1500 forms. These Defendants
know the reports assert inflated injury allegations, and the billings
and HCFA-1500 forms include charges for treatment, examinations, services,
and diagnostic tests that were not reasonable or necessary. These Defendants
know that these writings will be presented to Plaintiffs and other insurers
in regard to claims of loss under automobile liability policies.
- In regard to the Clinic Director Defendants, Plaintiffs would show
that they cause or allow their names to be entered on HCFA-1500 forms,
attesting that certain treatment and services have been performed, in
cases where they did not personally treat the patients and are unable
to ascertain the identity of the chiropractor, is any, who conducted
any treatment.
F. Texas Occupations Code § 155.001 (and former Art. 4495b, §3.07(a)).
- Section 155.001 of the Texas Occupations Code prohibits the practice
of medicine without a license. Former Article 4495b, §3.07(a) of
the Revised Civil Statutes, in effect until September 1999, contained
the same prohibition.
- Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Robert Smith, Steven Smith,
and Receivable Finance has violated these sections. Specifically, as
described in more detail herein below, Robert Smith, Steven Smith, and
Receivable Finance have acted as the defacto employer of medical doctors,
collecting the fees of medical doctors conducting 'second opinion'
consultations of Accident & Injury patients, or reviewing the MRI
scans of Accident & Injury patients, and paying the physicians a
small portion of their fees. In effect, Robert Smith, Steven Smith,
and Receivable Finance, nonphysicians, employed physicians and paid
those physicians a salary.
G. Texas Occupations Code § 164.052 (and former Art. 4495b, §
3.08(15))
- Section 164.052 of the Texas Occupations Code concerns prohibited
practices by physicians. A physician violates the section if the physician
"directly or indirectly aids or abets the practice of medicine
by a person, partnership, association, or corporation that is not licensed
to practice medicine by the board." Tex.Occ.Code § 164.052(17).
Former Article 4495b, §3.08(15) of the Revised Civil Statutes,
in effect until September 1999, contained the same prohibition.
- . Plaintiffs would show that Defendants Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin,
Dr. Wood, and Dr. Martinez violated these sections. Specifically, Dr.
Padilla, Dr. Laughlin, and Dr. Martinez entered into a employment relationship
with Robert Smith, Accident & Injury and Receivable Finance in regard
to Accident & Injury patients, in which they were paid what in effect
was a salary by Receivable Finance. Under this fee splitting arrangement,
the lay Defendants received the vast majority of professional fee, as
high as 89% or 93%.
XVII.
COMMON-LAW FRAUD - 33 charges
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 159 above.
- As described above, Defendants have made false and fraudulent commissions
of fact to Plaintiffs and other automobile insurance companies, namely
false and misleading statements in regard to the existence, nature,
and severity of supposed soft tissue injuries allegedly attributable
to automobile collisions, and the rendition and reasonableness and necessity
of examinations, consultations, treatments, testing procedures, and
other services purportedly provided to automobile collision patients.
- As described above, Defendants directed automobile accident patients
through a set pattern of referrals and treatment, regardless of the
patients' symptoms or apparent injury. The referrals are made among
the various defendants. Standardized chiropractic and medical narrative
reports are generated. The narrative reports contain false and unsupported
findings of serious injury, impairment, and future medical/chiropractic
needs and costs. The final narrative reports issued by Accident &
Injury have, as a 'default paragraph,' an "opinion"
that alleges all the supposed injuries were caused by the accident at
issue.
- As described above, Defendants' false and misleading statements
and omissions include:
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
concerning the extent of injuries and the probable existence of
"traumatic" spinal injuries.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
concerning the necessity for x-rays.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
concerning the necessity for referral of x-ray films.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
concerning the necessity for MRI referrals.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
concerning the necessity for medical consultation referrals.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
that the patient's past health history is non-contributory,
in cases where there is contributory history.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
that the patient was enjoying a good state of health "prior
to this incident," in cases where there was pre-existing injuries
or conditions.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
that the patient has not previously treated at Accident & Injury,
by assignment of new patient numbers and failing to include comment
about past treatment, in cases where the patient previously treated
at Accident & Injury.
- Deletion of the past history section in Accident & Injury
initial narrative reports in cases where the patient previously
treated at an Accident & Injury clinic for another injury, in
order to deceive Plaintiffs and other insurers by concealing past
injuries and treatment.
- Representations in Accident & Injury initial narrative reports
that the patient will require three modalities of therapy.
- Representing Lone Star Radiology is an independent entity, such
as issuing reports under that name, while failing to disclose that
Lone Star Radiology is related to Accident & Injury and that
the common ownership will benefit financially from the referral.
- Charging the same service twice, by billing for evaluation of
the same x-rays in both Accident & Injury and Lone Star Radiology
itemized billing statements and HCFA-1500 forms.
- Representing North Texas Open MRI, White Rock Open MRI, Harris
County MRI, and Bexar County MRI are independent entities, such
as issuing reports under those names, while failing to disclose
that those entities are related to Accident & Injury and that
the common ownership will benefit financially from the referral.
- Exaggerating findings in MRI reports.
- Representing that medical doctors are independent, by issuing
reports under the physicians' names, and failing to disclose
that the physicians maintain a relationship with Defendants under
which the majority of their professional fees are transferred to
non-physicians.
- Failing to disclose that Robert Smith, Accident & Injury,
and Receivable Finance will benefit from the referrals to medical
doctors made by Accident & Injury.
- Representing the necessity and reasonableness of treatment, diagnostic
tests, need for future chiropractic treatment, future medical needs,
and the need for surgery, in medical narrative reports.
- Representations in medical narrative reports that supposed injuries
and conditions were caused by the automobile collision at issue.
- Representations in medical itemized billing statements and HCFA-1500
forms, through use of CPT Codes, that extensive medical examinations
of patients were performed.
- Representations in medical narrative reports that prescription
medications were reasonable and necessary.
- Failing to disclose that there is a relationship between Accident
& Injury and the pharmacy which dispenses prescription medication
to Accident & Injury patients by mail.
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
concerning the extent of injuries and the existence of "traumatic"
spinal injuries.
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
that the patient's past health history is non-contributory,
in cases where there is contributory history.
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
that the patient was enjoying a good state of health "prior
to this incident," in cases where there was pre-existing injuries
or conditions.
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
that the patient has not previously treated at Accident & Injury,
by assignment of new patient numbers and failing to include comment
about past treatment, in cases where the patient previously treated
at Accident & Injury.
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
that an extensive evaluation of the patient was made, when the discussion,
prognosis, and future medical paragraphs are in fact pre-printed
from code 'macros.'
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
that the patient's injuries are of a long term or permanent
nature.
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
that the patient will henceforth be predisposed to other injury.
- Representations in Accident & Injury final narrative reports
that the patient will require surgery in the future.
- Representations that the patient will incur future medical and/or
chiropractic expense due to injuries received in the automobile
collision at issue.
- Representations that the patient's supposed injuries or conditions
were caused by the automobile collision at issue.
- Use of certain CPT codes in itemized billing statements and HCFA-1500
forms, such as codes 99212 and 97140, in place of codes regularly
used for chiropractic treatment, in order to bill higher costs.
- Representations that certain chiropractic and medical costs were
being billed to patients in itemized billing statements and HCFA-1500
forms, when standing agreements existed with cooperative attorneys
to charge substantially lessor amounts to those patients.
- In short, the treatment, diagnostic testing, and medical referrals
are not based on reasonable and necessary treatment of the patient,
but on maximizing profit for the interconnected Defendants.
- In automobile collision claims that are filed into suit, Defendants
continue to perpetuate these fraudulent misrepresentations throughout
the litigation process. As noted in paragraph 72 above, Accident &
Injury's Chief of Staff (Dr. Rhudy), Assistant Chief of Staff (Dr.
Saucedo), and Clinic Directors routinely testify at trial, free of charge,
for plaintiffs in automobile collision lawsuits. Misrepresentations
are made to the juries, through testimony and the above referenced narrative
reports, concerning the matters detailed in paragraph 164 above. For
example, in a recent state court deposition, Dr. Rayshell admitted no
medical doctor had recommended surgery, although the Accident &
Injury Final Narrative Report represented there was a probability surgery
would be necessary, at a cost of $30,000 to $40,000. Dr. Rayshell further
admitted that, although he was not qualified to make surgical determinations,
he made the decision to include the sections concerning surgery and
surgical costs in the narrative report.
- Defendants also continue to conceal facts concerning the interconnections
between Accident & Injury and the entities to whom it refers patients,
throughout the litigation process. In trial testimony, Accident &
Injury Clinic Directors deny knowledge of the interconnections or joint
ownership of the entities, even though they have worked for Accident
& Injury for a number of years and have direct knowledge of the
pattern of patient referrals from their clinics. Accident & Injury's
Chief of Staff, Dr. Rhudy, and Assistant Chief of Staff, Dr. Saucedo,
have also represented to juries that they have no knowledge of these
matters.
- On numerous other occasions, in state court depositions, counsel for
Accident & Injury and its related entities has instructed Accident
& Injury chiropractors, including Drs. Rayshell, Parent, Holowiski,
Campbell, and Crocoll, as well as Dr. Lustik and Dr. Padilla, not to
answer questions concerning the ownership of, or relationship between,
Accident & Injury and other Defendants.
- The misrepresentations made by Defendants to Plaintiffs were material
in that Plaintiffs relied on such representations to determine the settlement
of claims made against them and their insureds.
- When Defendants made such false and fraudulent misrepresentations,
they were aware of the falsity of such misrepresentations.
- Defendants made the misrepresentations with the intent to deceive
Plaintiffs and other insurance companies and with the intent that Plaintiffs
and other insurance companies act on the misrepresentations by paying
sums of money in settlement of the fraudulent claims made regarding
the automobile collisions at issue.
- Plaintiffs relied on the above misrepresentations in evaluating the
bodily injury claims made by Accident & Injury patients, and thereby
suffered by paying money to Defendants for fraudulent and inflated health
care treatment.
- Defendants also intentionally concealed and failed to disclose material
facts within their knowledge, knowing that Plaintiffs were ignorant
of those facts; specifically, that chiropractic, medical, and other
healthcare bills and related records reflected services that were not
reasonable or necessary, and that all entities to which Accident &
Injury referred patients, including medical doctors, were either financially
tied to Accident & Injury, if not owned by Accident & Injury
owner Robert Smith.
- Defendants also intentionally concealed and failed to disclose material
facts within their knowledge, knowing that Plaintiffs were ignorant
of those facts; specifically, that there were standing agreements with
cooperative attorneys to discount the medical and chiropractic fees
of patients represented by those attorneys. Therefore, medical and chiropractic
costs represented in itemized billing statements and HCFA-1500 forms
generated by Defendants were greatly in excess of the true amounts charged
to those patients.
- As a direct and proximate result of Defendants' conduct, Plaintiffs
have paid sums in connection with the fraudulent treatment, billing,
and referral practices arising from automobile collisions in which the
claimant went to an Accident & Injury clinic.
- In addition, Plaintiffs have incurred other substantial consequential
damages, such as claim related, investigative, and litigation expenses,
due to Defendants' conduct.
- Plaintiffs are also entitled to consequential damages and punitive
damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
XVIII.
COMMON-LAW CONSPIRACY
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 176 above.
- Beginning in 1998 and continuing through the present time, Defendants
willfully combined, conspired, and agreed with each other and others
to defraud Plaintiffs. Defendants, in combination with themselves and
others, knowingly made false and misleading statements in regard to
the existence, nature, and severity of the supposed soft tissue injuries
allegedly attributable to the automobile collisions at issue, and the
rendition and reasonableness and necessity of examinations, medical
consultations, treatments, MRIs, and other testing procedures purportedly
provided to automobile accident claimants who went to Accident &
Injury.
- The object of the conspiracy was to defraud Plaintiffs and other insurers
of millions of dollars. There was a meeting of the minds and agreement
on this course of action by each Defendant, and each Defendant played
a specific role in the overall scheme to defraud Plaintiffs and other
insurers. The Defendants, separately or in concert with other Defendants
and/or other parties, committed overt, unlawful acts in furtherance
of this cause of action, namely referring automobile collision claimants
to other Defendants for unreasonable and unnecessary examination, treatment
or continued treatment, and/or tests, and generating documentation,
such as narrative reports, itemized billing statements, and HCFA-1500
forms, substantiating the unreasonable and unnecessary treatment and
tests.
For example:
- Robert Smith created a number of organizations in order to obtain
money from the referrals made to these entities by his chiropractic
clinics. Robert Smith, Steven Smith, Dr. Rhudy, and Dr. Saucedo
instruct chiropractor employees to utilize these facilities for
near universal referrals.
- Clinic Directors, such as Dr. Rayshell, Dr. Parent, Dr. Holowiski,
Dr. Fabacher, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Assadolahi, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Stefanovic,
Dr. Blackmon, Dr. Sanghani, and (prior to becoming assistant chief
of staff) Dr. Saucedo, knowingly and intentionally make patient
referrals (as a matter of routine rather than based on chiropractic
reasonableness and necessity) for x-rays, 'second opinion' x-ray
review, MRIs, and medical 'second opinion' examinations.
The Clinic Director Defendants direct these referrals only to entities
they know to be owned by Robert Smith.
- The Clinic Director Defendants also knowingly ascribed their names,
or allowed their names to be placed, on HCFA-1500 forms, when they
knew the treatment described therein was unreasonable and unnecessary,
and that the forms were formatted in such a way, through use of
particular CPT codes, to inflate costs for particular treatment.
- Medical doctors, such as Dr. Padilla, Dr. Laughlin, Dr. Wood,
and Dr. Martinez, became the de facto employees of non-physician
defendants, and allowed the vast majority of the money obtained
from their professional medical fees to be disbursed to these laymen.
The medical doctors also inflated costs by ascribing their names
to HCFA-1500 forms reflecting comprehensive examinations, when,
at most, only cursory examinations were performed.
- Accident & Injury production department employees, headed
by Dr. Crocoll and, subsequently, Dr. Saucedo, generate standardized
reports with fraudulent findings.
- Receivable Finance not only acts as a lay employer of medical
doctors, but collects medical fees and then distributes the money
to Robert Smith and other lay Defendants.
- The false and fraudulent misrepresentations and omissions alleged
above were made by Defendants and others with the purpose and intent
to deceive Plaintiffs and to induce Plaintiffs to pay Defendants large
sums of money to which they were not legally entitled.
- As a direct and proximate result of Defendants' conduct, Plaintiffs
have paid sums in regard to the fraudulent treatment, billing, and referral
practices arising from automobile collisions in which the claimant went
to an Accident & Injury clinic.
- In addition, Plaintiffs have incurred other substantial consequential
damages, such as claim related, investigative, and litigation expenses,
due to Defendants' conduct.
- Plaintiffs are also entitled to consequential damages and punitive
damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
XIX.
UNJUST ENRICHMENT
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 183 above.
- As described above, Defendants have made false and fraudulent commissions
of fact to Plaintiffs, in regard to the existence, nature, and severity
of supposed soft tissue injuries allegedly attributable to automobile
collisions, and willfully combined, conspired, and agreed with each
other and others to defraud Plaintiffs.
- As described above, Defendants are in violation of numerous statutes
enacted by the State of Texas in regard to healthcare matters such as
referrals for remuneration, disclosures of joint interest and ownership,
overtreatment, and the unauthorized practice of medicine.
- Defendants have obtained a benefit from Plaintiffs by fraud, namely
the payment for chiropractic, diagnostic, and medical expenses that
were unreasonable and unnecessary, and designed to enrich Defendants
at Plaintiffs' detriment. Not only was the benefit gained by fraud,
but it was gained through the willful violation of the beforementioned
Texas statutes.
- As a direct and proximate result of Defendants' conduct, Plaintiffs
have paid sums, and Defendants have been benefited from those payments,
in connection with the fraudulent treatment, billing, and referral practices
arising from automobile collisions in which the claimant went to an
Accident & Injury clinic.
XX.
REQUESTS FOR DECLARATORY RELIEF
Medical Fees
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 188 above.
- As described above, Accident & Injury patients are referred to
a limited number of medical doctors for second opinion consultation
and MRI evaluation. Accident & Injury provides the space for the
medical consultation examinations at its chiropractic clinics, the assistant
for the medical doctor, and medical narrative report generation.
- Robert Smith and/or Steven Smith interviewed and selected the medical
doctors used for the 'second opinion' examinations.
- The involved medical doctors split the resulting professional medical
fees with lay Defendants. The fees, at least through at least mid 2001,
were transferred to Receivable Finance, another entity owned by Robert
Smith. Receivable Finance is located within Accident & Injury's
corporate headquarters, and the medical fees are billed and collected
by Accident & Injury billing and collections employees, such as
Tina Cheshire.
- According to the 2001 state court testimony of Receivable Finance
CFO Steven Lambert, Receivable Finance's business consisted
of purchasing medical accounts receivable, limited to: (1) receivables
of medical doctors generated in regard to examinations of Accident
& Injury patients, and (2) receivables generated from the professional
fees for review and interpretation of MRI films from MRI's
conducted at North Texas Open MRI, White Rock Open MRI, Harris County
MRI, and Bexar County MRI.35
- In a 2000 deposition, Dr. Padilla testified Receivable Finance
did his billings, and was owned by "Bob Smith of Accident &
Injury." The mailing address on his bills was "just a
mailing box for a bank account where the checks are delivered,"
and Receivable Finance receives and deposits the checks.36
- In a subsequent October 2000 deposition, Dr. Padilla initially
claimed the P.O. box address listed on his medical bill was his,
and was in his name. He then admitted that Receivable Finance, a
"billing company," also used the P.O. box, and the box
was really in Receivable Finance's name. Dr. Padilla refused
to identify the owner of Receivable Finance.37
- Dr. Laughlin testified in a state court deposition in 2001. He
testified he joined the "Association of Orthopedic and Dermatological
Consultants, P.A." (or "AODC"), which in turn entered
into an arrangement with Accident & Injury. Dr. Laughlin understood
Receivable Finance is owned by Robert Smith or one of Mr. Smith's
corporations. Robert Smith was involved in the negotiations between
Receivable Finance and AODC. Receivable Finance would "buy"
Dr. Laughlin's billing accounts from AODC, and pay AODC a monthly
sum.38
- In September 2001 state court deposition testimony, Dr. Wood testified
that Dr. Padilla recruited him to see Accident & Injury patients.
Dr. Wood's professional corporation, PMC, originally had an
arrangement with Receivable Finance, and later with Dr. Padilla's
professional association, to assign his medical fees. Dr. Wood had
met Robert Smith and believed Robert Smith was a principle of Receivable
Finance.39
- The medical doctors themselves are paid only a small percentage of
their medical billing, or a flat fee.
- Dr. Padilla has previously testified that Robert Smith "purchases"
the bill from him at a percentage; his $275 bill was purchased for
about 11 or 12 percent, roughly $35. Dr. Padilla affirmed the remainder
of the fee was 'the property of Bob Smith.'40
- Dr. Laughlin has previously testified that his professional entity,
AODC, received a set monthly sum of money from Receivable Finance,
whether Dr. Laughlin saw one patient a month or a thousand patients
a month. The monthly sum was eleven percent of what Robert Smith
anticipated collecting on the accounts.41
- Dr. Wood has previously testified that, of his $275 fee for an
examination of an Accident & Injury patient, he himself would
receive about $35.42
- Receivable Finance CFO Steven Lambert has previously testified
that Receivable Finance pays Dr. Martinez $20 for a $300 professional
MRI evaluation fee, which is seven percent of the fee.43
- Receivable Finance disburses money gained from the fees to Accident
& Injury, Robert Smith, and other Defendants.
- Receivable Finance CFO Steven Lambert has previously testified
Receivable Finance pays money to Accident & Injury:
- For lease of space in Accident & Injury's corporate
office, although there is no space particularly set aside for
Receivable Finance's exclusive use.
- Under a "management agreement," whereby Accident
& Injury provides services, such as billings and collection
services to Receivable Finance. Accident & Injury employees,
such as Tina Cheshire, are authorized to negotiate and compromise
medical billings on Receivable Finance's behalf.
- Under an agreement with Accident & Injury, whereby Accident
& Injury provides services, such as billings, narrative
report generation, and assistants, to the medical doctors who
sell their receivables to Receivable Finance. Receivable Finance
pays a monthly fee to Accident & Injury for these services;
in the case of Dr. Laughlin, the fee was $25,000.00 per month.
- Discovery in the present case to date shows that money is transferred
from the Receivable Finance account to other non-licensed entities,
such as White Rock Open Air MRI, as well as directly to Robert Smith.
- Plaintiffs hereby request a declaration from this Honorable Court
that they are not liable for, and do not owe, any sum of money for alleged
medical fees orchestrated through the association between Receivable
Finance, Accident & Injury, and medical doctors, and that they are
entitled to recover any such payments previously made.
- Plaintiffs hereby request a declaration from this Honorable Court
that they are not liable for, and do not owe, any sum of money for any
of the alleged medical fees referenced above, whose accounts receivable
have been sold or otherwise transferred to Advanced Medical, Padilla
PA, or any other person or entity, and that they are entitled to recover
any such payments previously made.
- In support of this request for declaratory relief, Plaintiffs would
respectfully show that the Texas Occupations Code, § 155.01 (and
former Article 4495b, § 3.07(a)) prohibits a person from practicing
medicine in the state unless they are licensed to do so. Sections 164.051
and 164.052(17) of the Code (and former Article 4495b, §3.08(15))
prohibit a physician from directly or indirectly aiding or abetting
the practice of medicine by a person or entity that is not licensed
to practice medicine.
- Plaintiffs would also respectfully show that Texas law provides a
corporation comprised of lay-persons, that employs licensed physicians
to treat patients and receives fees for the services provided, is engaged
in the unlawful practice of medicine, in violation of the Texas Medical
Practice Act. See Garcia v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners,
384 F. Supp. 434 (W.D. Tex., 1974), aff'd 421 U.S. 995 (1975);
Flynn Brothers, Inc. v. First Medical Associates, 715 S.W.2d
782 (Tex. App. —; Dallas 1986, writ ref'd n.r.e.).
- Plaintiffs would show that the transfer of medical accounts receivable
obtained by lay entities through the unlawful practice of medicine,
to a professional medical association, does not validate said billings.
- Petitioners would show that Receivable Finance, Accident & Injury,
and Robert Smith are engaged in the unauthorized corporate practice
of medicine, in violation of the Texas statutory and common law. Specifically:
- Receivable Finance, Accident & Injury, and Robert Smith are
lay entities or persons, not licensed to practice medicine.
- Receivable Finance, Accident & Injury, and Robert Smith are
the de-facto employers of medical doctors, including Dr. Padilla
and Dr. Laughlin, to whom patients are referred for "second
opinion" examination by Accident & Injury. Receivable Finance
and Accident & Injury have a common ownership, and share an
office and employees.
- Receivable Finance, Accident & Injury, and Robert Smith are
the de-facto employers of another medical doctor, Dr. Martinez,
to whom patients' diagnostic scans are referred for interpretation
through North Texas Open Air MRI (and its assumed name entities
Harris County MRI and Bexar County MRI) and White Rock Open
Air MRI. Receivable Finance, Accident & Injury, and these four
MRI facilities have a common ownership, and the medical fees generated
from these referrals are billed thorough Receivable Finance.
- Receivable Finance directly collects and deposits the payments
for medical fees purportedly billed by these medical doctors through
its bank.
- Receivable Finance pays the medical doctors only a small portion
of the medical fee the physician generates.
- Receivable Finance retains the vast majority of the medical fees
generated by these medical doctors. On information and belief, Receivable
Finance disburses these funds to Robert Smith and to entities owned
by Robert Smith.
- Accident & Injury, through a "management agreement"
with Receivable Finance, provides document maintenance, examination
space, report generation, billing generation, and assistants to the
medical doctors. Thus, these Defendants control the physician-patient
relationship in regard to these referrals.
- Any contracts or agreements between Receivable Finance and medical
doctors in regard to medical fees are illegal and void as a matter of
law and public policy, and are unenforceable against any person or company.
- The alleged "sale" of medical accounts receivable to Advanced
Medical, Padilla PA, or any other person or entity, does not change
the illegal nature of these fees.
- Defendants would further respectfully show that this matter is ripe
for declaratory relief, and that the Court's determination of the issues
presented will conclusively resolve the questions of Defendants'
duty to pay sums to Receivable Finance, and its successor in interest,
Advanced Medical and/or Padilla PA, and their rights to reimbursement
for sums previously paid.
- As shown herein, the purported "sale" of medical accounts
receivable of Receivable Finance to Advanced Medical and/or Padilla
PA occurred soon after a litigant sought Receivable Finance's deposition
in a Texas state court proceeding. The transfer purportedly occurred
in February 2001, the month following the Texas District Court's
entry of an order allowing the deposition to proceed, and just prior
to Receivable Finance filing a petition for writ of mandamus with the
Texas Court of Appeals. The transfer was purportedly to a professional
association of Dr. Padilla; Dr. Padilla is one of the "second opinion"
medical doctors who saw Accident & Injury patients and "assigned"
his medical fees to Respondent Receivable Finance.
- Given the unusual nature and timing of the sale of medical accounts
receivable to Advanced Medical and/or Padilla PA, it is possible that
these assets may have been, or may again be transferred to another person
or entity. It is also possible that the remaining medical accounts receivable
held by Receivable Finance may be transferred to another person or entity.
In such event, Defendants would show that the transfer or further transfer
of these medical fees does not change the illegal nature of the fees,
and that any "purchaser" or other transferee may be valid
parties.
- On information and belief, Advanced Medical, Padilla PA, or another
entity has assumed the functions previously performed by Receivable
Finance, such as procuring and paying medical doctors to perform 'second
opinion' consultations of Accident & Injury patients, and transferring
the sums gained through the examinations to non-physician Defendants.
For example, Dr. Padilla has recently (April 2002) testified in a state
court case that his organization now "leases" space at all the Accident
& Injury chiropractic clinics, and that Dr. Wood is now his employee.44
In such event, Plaintiffs would show that such activity also constitutes
the unauthorized or corporate practice of medicine, and that any persons
or entities so involved may be valid parties.
XXI.
Fees and Costs Generally
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 207 above.
- As described above, Accident & Injury, Receivable Finance, North
Texas Open Air MRI, White Rock Open Air MRI, and their associated chiropractors
and medical doctors (including the Clinic Director Defendants and Drs.
Padilla, Laughlin, Wood, and Martinez) have violated numerous provisions
of the Texas Occupation Code concerning the practice of healthcare.
- As also described above, Defendants have conspired together to defraud
Plaintiffs through a scheme of unreasonable and unnecessary treatment
and referrals among themselves. Automobile accident claimants are routed
through a set pattern of chiropractic treatment and diagnostic and medical
referrals in order to enrich the enterprise. Narrative reports are generated
containing false and inflated findings of injury, causation, and needed
treatment.
- Plaintiffs hereby request a declaration from this Honorable Court
that they are not liable for, and do not owe, any sum of money for alleged
chiropractic, diagnostic, medical, or other healthcare fees of bills
orchestrated through the combination between Defendants, specifically
all fees and bills for services purportedly performed by Accident &
Injury, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, White Rock Open Air MRI,
North Texas Open Air MRI, Rehab 2112, and Receivable Finance, and that
Plaintiffs are entitled to recover any such payments previously made.
- Plaintiffs would further respectfully show that this matter is ripe
for declaratory relief, and that the Court's determination of the issues
presented will conclusively resolve the questions of Plaintiffs'
duty to pay sums to Defendants, and their rights to reimbursement for
sums previously paid.
- In the period from January 1, 1999 to the present, at least the following
sums of chiropractic, medical, diagnostic, and other related billings
were submitted by Defendants to Plaintiffs, concerning Accident &
Injury Chiropractic patients:
- Allstate Insurance Company : $3,432,409.00
- Allstate Indemnity Company : $17,405,609.00
- Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Company: $19,821,750.00
- Boston Old Colony Insurance Company: $158,035.50
- The Glens Fall Insurance Company: $255,573.90
XXII.
Joint Business Enterprise
- Plaintiffs incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, each and
every allegation contained in paragraphs 1 through 213 above.
- As described above, the operation of Accident & Injury, Receivable
Finance, Lone Star Radiology, Metroplex Pain, White Rock Open Air MRI,
North Texas Open Air MRI, Rehab 2112, Lacidem Management, and BS Limousine
constitutes a joint business enterprise under Texas law.
- Plaintiffs hereby request a declaration from this Honorable Court
that Accident & Injury, Receivable Finance, Lone Star Radiology,
Metroplex Pain, White Rock Open Air MRI, North Texas Open Air MRI, Rehab
2112, Lacidem Management, and BS Limousine constitute a joint business
enterprise.
XXIII.
JURY DEMAND
- Trial by jury is requested on all issues triable by jury.
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, Petitioners Allstate
Insurance Company, Allstate Indemnity Company, Allstate Property
& Casualty Insurance Company, Boston Old Colony Insurance Company,
and The Glens Fall Insurance Company, respectfully request that upon
final trial of this cause, the Court enter a judgment against Defendants,
each of them jointly and severally:
- In favor of Plaintiff Allstate Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for common law fraud and conspiracy;
- In favor of Plaintiff Allstate Indemnity Company, for its claim of relief for common law fraud and conspiracy;
- In favor of Plaintiff Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for common law fraud and conspiracy;
- In favor of Plaintiff Boston Old Colony Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for common law fraud and conspiracy;
- In favor of Plaintiff The Glens Fall Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for common law fraud and conspiracy;
- In favor of Plaintiff Allstate Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for unjust enrichment;
- In favor of Plaintiff Allstate Indemnity Company, for its claim of relief for unjust enrichment;
- In favor of Plaintiff Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for unjust enrichment;
- In favor of Plaintiff Boston Old Colony Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for unjust enrichment;
- In favor of Plaintiff The Glen Falls Insurance Company, for its claim of relief for unjust enrichment;
- A declaration that Accident & Injury, Receivable Finance, Lone Star Radiology, Metroplex Pain, White Rock Open Air MRI, North Texas Open Air MRI, Rehab 2112, Lacidem Management, and BS Limousine constitute a joint business enterprise.
- A declaration that Defendants Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C., Accident & Injury Pain Centers, Inc., and Robert Smith are engaged in the unauthorized employment of medical and osteopathic physicians;
- A declaration that Defendants Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C., Accident & Injury Pain Centers, Inc., and Robert Smith are engaged in the unauthorized corporate practice of medicine;
- A declaration that any contracts or agreements between Defendants Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C., Accident & Injury Pain Centers, Inc., and Robert Smith and medical and osteopathic physicians are illegal and void as a matter of law;
- A declaration that any contracts or agreements between Defendants Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C., Accident & Injury Pain Centers, Inc., and Robert Smith and medical and osteopathic doctors are void as a matter of public policy;
- A declaration that Plaintiffs are not obligated to pay any amount billed by or through Receivable Finance Company, L.L.C., in regard to any fee for medical services, including any such fees subsequently transferred to Defendants Advanced Medical Systems & Solutions, P.L.L.C. or Marlon D. Padilla, M.D., P.A., or to any other person or entity;
- A declaration that all medical services previously billed through Defendant Receivable Finance Company L.L.C., were billed in violation of the Texas Medical Practices Act, including any such fees subsequently transferred to Defendants Advanced Medical Systems & Solutions, P.L.L.C. or Marlon D. Padilla, M.D., P.A., or to any other person or entity, and that Plaintiffs are entitled to reimbursement for any such payments previously made by them;
- A declaration that all health care services billed by or on behalf of Accident & Injury, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, North Texas Open Air MRI, White Rock Open Air MRI, or Rehab 2112, as well as any medical or osteopathic doctor for services billed through Receivable Finance are void due to those entities and persons violations of the Texas Occupations Code, and due to the fraudulent nature of the bills.
- A declaration that Plaintiffs are not obligated to pay any amount billed by or through Accident & Injury, Receivable Finance, Metroplex Pain, Lone Star Radiology, North Texas Open Air MRI, White Rock Open Air MRI, or Rehab 2112, as well as any medical or osteopathic doctor for services billed through Receivable Finance, and that Plaintiffs are entitled to reimbursement for any such payments previously made by them.
- Prejudgment interest at the maximum rate allowed by law;
- Post-judgment interest at the maximum rate allowed by law;
- Punitive damages in such amount as the finder of fact may award at its discretion;
- All such other and further relief, legal and equitable, special or general, to which Plaintiffs may be justly entitled.
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Respectfully submitted;
______________________________
DAVID KASSABIAN
TEXAS STATE BAR NO. 11105600
BRET WEATHERFORD
TEXAS STATE BAR NO. 20998800
KASSABIAN, DOYLE &
WEATHERFORD, P.C.
1521 North Cooper Street
Suite 650, LB 21
Arlington, TX 76011
(817) 460-5099 (Local)
(817) 461-8855 (Metro)
(817) 274-9863 (Facsimile)
ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFFS |
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify a copy of the foregoing First Amended Complaint has been served on the following by certified mail, return receipt requested, this _____ day of November, 2002: |
Mr. Lindy Jones
Jones, Allen & Fuquay, L.L.P.
8828 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75243-7143
Attorney for Receivable Finance
Company, L.L.C. |
Mr. Richard Young
Glast, Phillips & Murray, P.C.
2200 One Galleria Tower
13355 Noel Road, L.B. 48
Dallas, Texas 75240-6657
Attorney for Advance Medical Systems &
Solutions, P.L.L.C., and Marlon D.
Padilla, M.D., P.A.
___________________________ |
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