NEWSLETTER – Whistleblowing in the Medical Industry: How to Report Healthcare Fraud
July 2018 Newsletter
Sumner Schick REpresents Family of Marinda Griggs in High-profile Civil Rights Case
Recently, the Dallas Observer ran a front-cover feature article titled “Did Texas Prison Guards Drive Marinda Griggs to Kill Herself?” The article details the mistreatment of Marinda Griggs that ultimately lead to her tragic passing. According to the article, Griggs, who suffered from epilepsy, had been serving a 20-year sentence for aggravated robbery in a Gatesville prison at the time of her death. After being beaten while she suffered a seizure and then placed in solitary confinement and deprived of necessary mental health medication, Griggs took her own life.
Justin and Steve Sumner, and the team at Sumner Schick, are representing the family of Griggs in a lawsuit filed against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and a prison guard in a federal court in Houston. The family alleges the defendants violated Griggs’ rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Texas Tort Claims Act and is seeking unspecified compensatory, special and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
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Steve Sumner Named to 2018 List of America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators
Steve Sumner has been named among America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, a list that identifies the nation’s most exceptional trial lawyers for high stakes legal matters. In 2018, less than 0.5% percent of active attorneys in the United States were selected for inclusion.
Selection to America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators is by invitation only and is reserved for the nation’s most notable trial attorneys. To be considered, an attorney must have litigated (for either plaintiff or defendant) a matter (1) with at least $2,000,000 in alleged damages at stake or (2) with the fate of a business worth at least $2,000,000 at stake (i.e. bet-the-company litigation valued in excess of $2,000,000). Candidates that meet these criteria must then pass through a multi-phase screening process that evaluates their professional experience, litigation experience, significant case results, representative high stakes matters, peer reputation, and community impact.
Whistleblowing in the Medical Industry: How To Report Healthcare Fraud
Each year, fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry result in the loss of billions of dollars for federal healthcare programs. What is Medicare fraud? Generally, Medicare fraud includes the following:
Knowingly submitting, or causing to be submitted, false claims, or making misrepresentations of fact to obtain payment from a federal healthcare program;
Knowingly soliciting, receiving, offering and/or paying remuneration to induce or reward referrals for services reimbursed by Federal health care programs; and
Making prohibited referrals for certain designated health services.
If you suspect a company is committing Medicare fraud, you may report it anonymously by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or contacting the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS. By reporting Medicare fraud in this manner, you may be eligible for an award up to $1000.
Sumner Schick was proud to sponsor a fundraiser for Warwick Sabin’s campaign for mayor of Little Rock. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed!
Learn more about Warwick Sabin and his platform here.