A Kansas court of appeals ordered a county judge to rehear a case involving allegations the owner of Wichita, Kan.-based Hansa Center for Optimum Health wrote and posted fake reviews about the center online to obtain more patients, according to Cjonline.com.
According to court documents, the Kansas state board of healing arts received a letter from an anonymous source in 2014 stating that numerous "lengthy fictitious posts about the wonders and successes of the center" were found on Healingwell.com and MDJunction.com.
The complaint focused on the reviews posted by one anonymous user.
The board of healing arts appointed a special investigator to look into the matter in August 2014. In October, investigators subpoenaed the owner of the center, David Jernigan, requesting he turn over the medical records of five patients, according to the article. Mr. Jernigan refused to turn over the documents.
By state law, Mr. Jernigan was required to appeal the court's decision to the board before taking the case to court. After a district judge rejected the appeal, Mr. Jernigan approached the appeals court.
Mr. Jernigan had been previously investigated by the board of healing arts in 2011 after the board received complaints that Mr. Jernigan had advertised the use of experimental treatments to patients, according to the article.
Neither Mr. Jernigan nor his lawyer would comment on the ongoing allegations, according to the article.