Doctors Sued Over Staged Construction Site Accidents
- eva_hatzaki
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Feds allege unnecessary surgeries were performed in scheme exploiting New York’s Scaffold Law
PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Several Long Island doctors and medical practices have been named in a federal racketeering lawsuit alleging they participated in a scheme involving staged construction accidents and medically unnecessary surgeries.
As Newsday reports, the lawsuit—filed June 16 in Brooklyn federal court—accuses more than 40 defendants, including medical professionals, attorneys, and litigation financiers, of conspiring to exploit New York’s Scaffold Law. This 140-year-old law holds property owners and contractors fully liable for gravity-related injuries on construction sites, regardless of fault.
The suit claims that attorneys recruited vulnerable workers, often recent immigrants, to stage fake accidents at job sites, then referred them to cooperating doctors who performed invasive procedures not supported by medical necessity.
Among those named:
Total Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, which also oversees orthopedics at Nassau University Medical Center. Dr. Vadim Lerman and Dr. Abhishek Kumar are accused of performing unnecessary spine and neck surgeries.
New York Sports and Joints Orthopedic Specialists, where Dr. Kevin Wright allegedly operated on a wrist injury not mentioned in initial ER records.
Advanced Orthopedics and Joint Preservation, led by Dr. Stanislav Avshalumov, is accused of recommending unsupported shoulder surgeries.
New York Spine Institute and Dr. Alexandre de Moura allegedly performed a neck procedure followed by a questionable disability assessment.
Katzman Orthopedics and Dr. Barry Katzman are accused of performing excessive surgery on the same patient seen by de Moura.
The lawsuit also targets William Schwitzer & Associates, a Manhattan law firm alleged to have directed runners to recruit workers and arranged litigation funding loans to incentivize participation.
A spokesperson for the State Workers’ Compensation Board told Newsday that the agency takes fraud seriously and imposes penalties on providers found to have acted improperly.
While none of the defendants have been criminally charged, the civil suit seeks to expose and halt what it calls a “widespread fraud scheme.” Critics argue that current penalties are too lenient and have called for Scaffold Law reform. 🀰
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