CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Legal Newsline) — A medical clinician is suing a South Carolina corporation, alleging retaliation.
Curtis Bachelor of Piney Flats, Tennessee, filed a lawsuit Dec. 1, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina against Advanced Prosthetics of Easley Inc., alleging the defendant breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing.
According to the complaint, on May 23, Bachelor began working with the defendant as a certified orthotist. The suit says in July, Bachelor met a patient who was disgruntled with the service and orthotic appliances she had received from Advanced Prosthetics
Upon further investigation, the lawsuit states, Bachelor discovered several cases of Medicare violations where Medicare was billed by the defendant for services performed by non-certified practitioners.
The lawsuit states the defendants overbilled orthotic appliances against what the patients actually receive and use. When Bachelor mentioned the unfair practices to his supervisor, the suit says, the supervisor became irate and yelled at the plaintiff not to snoop in patient files. Moreover, the plaintiff says he was terminated from his employment two weeks after the incident as a retaliation.
The plaintiff alleges the defendant retaliated against him for raising Medicare fraud to his superior, overbilled Medicare for its patients' orthotic appliances, and overbilled Medicare for services performed by non-certified practitioners.
Bachelor seeks trial by jury, reinstatement and to recover damages from defendant, including actual, compensatory, consequential, general, special, and liquidated damages, back pay, front pay, benefits, prejudgment interest, court costs and attorney fees and all relief the court deems just. He is represented by attorneys Tamara L. Huckert and Christopher R. Strianese of Strianese PLLC in Charlotte, North Carolina.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina Case number 16-cv-00824