A former CEO of the now-closed Pacific Hospital of Long Beach (Calif.) has filed a defamation lawsuit claiming plaintiffs' attorneys in a pending case falsely stated he was involved in selling counterfeit spinal screws that were allegedly used in thousands of spinal surgeries, according to a Press-Telegram report.
In his defamation lawsuit, Michael Drobot claims plaintiffs' attorneys are purposely falsely accusing him of running the scheme to tarnish his name and reputation. He also claims the attorneys are trying to disparage PacificHospital's name.
In a written statement, Mr. Drobot said he filed the lawsuit because the allegations in the lawsuit are "malicious" and "false," according to the report.
This is not the first lawsuit Mr. Drobot has been involved in this year. In February, he pleaded guilty to participating in a kickback scheme that led to more than $500 million in claims being fraudulently submitted to the government. Earlier this year, Mr. Drobot also admitted to bribing now-suspended California State Sen. Ron Calderon (D) to support legislation that would limit workers compensation benefits for spine surgeons and other providers.
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