Federal Court Rejects RICO Claim Against Doctor for Alleged False Testimony

A divided federal appeals court panel last week ruled that the statutory scheme designed to bring down organized crime could not be applied to a doctor who allegedly joined a conspiracy to deny coal miners of Black Lung Act benefits. Dr. Paul Wheeler had been a staff radiologist with the Johns Hopkins Health System. He drew national attention when the Center for Public Integrity published a report in 2013 indicating that Wheeler had not interpreted a single X-ray as positive for complicated pneumoconiosis in three years. Other expert physicians found complicated coal workers' pneumo...