Doctor Files $100M Lawsuit After Being Cleared of Kickback Allegations

Monday, September 21, 2020 | 0

A New Jersey doctor is suing the state for $100 million, saying his reputation was damaged by kickback allegations that were announced in 2017 and dismissed two years later, according to media reports.

Dr. Terry Ramnanan
(N.J. AG photo)

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office in August 2017 announced that Dr. Terry Ramnanan — a pain management specialist prosecutors incorrectly referred to as a neurologist — was accused of paying kickbacks to a chiropractor in exchange for patient referrals. In 2018, prosecutors announced additional charges that included bribing another provider and fraudulently submitting insurance claims for medical treatment.

A Superior Court Judge dismissed all charges against Ramnanan in May 2019, writing that the state had “lost sight of its obligation to do justice and instead sought to indict the defendant on the most serious charges it could present,” according to a report by WKXW in Trenton.

The judge also said the state “intentionally subverted the grand jury process,” according to a report by NJ.com. Prosecutors never refiled charges.

Ramnanan on Wednesday filed a complaint demanding $100 million in compensation for the “utterly baseless criminal prosecution.”

The lawsuit alleges civil rights violations based on accusations that investigators for the state fabricated evidence.

“He’s been devastated by this,” Ramnanan’s attorney, Jon Norinsberg, told NJ.com. “Who does he go to to get his reputation back?”