Press Release
Contact: Jim Gottstein
907-274-7686
jim.gottstein@psychrights.org
Anchorage, Alaska — Late on May 17, 2010 the United States District Court for the District of Alaska unsealed another Medicaid Fraud case by the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights®), U.S. ex rel Griffin v. Martino, Family Centered Services and Safeway, Case No. 3:09-cv-246.
The case is part of PsychRights’ Medicaid Fraud Initiative Against Psychiatric Drugging of Children & Youth. “People should expect more of these cases until this pervasive type of Medicaid Fraud stops,” said Jim Gottstein, the attorney handling the case.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the United States Government by Daniel Griffin who lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, against three Fairbanks defendants, Dr. Ronald Martino, Family Centered Services, and Safeway. The lawsuit is brought under the federal False Claims Act, which authorizes private parties to bring fraud actions on behalf of the United States Government and share in the recovery, if any. Each offending prescription carries a minimum penalty of $5,500. Mr. Griffin, who was in foster care at the time, was given psychiatric drugs that were not for a “medically accepted indication,” which constitutes Medicaid Fraud.
Unsealed in late January, PsychRights’ first Medicaid Fraud case, United States ex rel Law Project for Psychiatric Rights v. Matsutani, et al., is much broader, against 32 defendants, including psychiatrists, mental health agencies, pharmacies, state officials and a medical publishing and education company. See, Massive Medicaid Fraud Lawsuit Unsealed.
This case, ex rel Griffin v. Martino, uses the streamlined model Qui Tam Complaint PsychRights developed for use around the country. See, PsychRights Launches Campaign Against Medicaid Fraud With Model Lawsuit.
The model Qui Tam Complaint is drafted for former foster youth to bring the lawsuits and receive the whistleblower’s share of the recovery, but anyone with knowledge of specific offending prescriptions, such as parents and mental health workers, can bring these suits.
The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights is a public interest law firm devoted to the defense of people facing the horrors of forced psychiatric drugging and electroshock. PsychRights is further dedicated to exposing the truth about psychiatric interventions and the courts being misled into ordering people subjected to these brain and body damaging drugs against their will. Extensive information about these dangers, and about the tragic damage caused by electroshock, is available on the PsychRights web site: http://psychrights.org/