Tampa, Fla.-based Physician Partners of America is seeking to "claw back" some of the emails it turned over to federal investigators as part of an investigation started three years ago, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The Justice Department is investigating whether the physician group submitted false claims to government payers. The group provided 2,500 emails from 500 employees to federal prosecutors in response to a demand made in 2018.
According to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department in March, Physician Partners of America is seeking to "claw back" certain emails written by Terri Casey, who previously served as the company's senior vice president. The group claims her emails were privileged because she is a lawyer, according to the Times.
The Justice Department is asking the federal court in Tampa to reject Physician Partners of America's arguments. It is also asking the court to compel Ms. Casey to provide testimony.
"Because Ms. Casey is an attorney, the ethical rules require compliance with certain procedures, such as waiting for the court to rule on the enforcement action you are referring to before she speaks to the government," a lawyer representing Ms. Casey told the Times. "Ms. Casey has not been sued or threatened with a lawsuit in any way in this action and is only one of many potential witnesses."