HARTFORD, Conn. — The owner of multiple dental clinics across the state is set to challenge a court ruling that dismissed his defamation lawsuit against Attorney General William Tong. The suit was sparked by a press release issued by Tong’s office, which the clinic owner claims contained false statements about his practices.
Superior Court Judge Neeta Vatti dismissed the lawsuit on grounds of qualified immunity, which protects government officials from lawsuits arising from their official duties unless they violate established legal rights. Dr. Abbas Mohammadi, president of Columbia Dental, which operates clinics in several cities including Norwalk and Hartford, announced his intention to appeal the decision.
In his statement, Mohammadi criticized the dismissal for not allowing any discovery process to substantiate his claims. He expressed frustration over what he described as a “secret” investigation by the Attorney General’s office and the Department of Social Services, which he claims led to undue stress and potential penalties for his practice.
The roots of the dispute trace back to August 2020, when federal prosecutors and Mohammadi settled a civil case involving allegations from a whistleblower. This individual claimed that between January 2012 and February 2016, Mohammadi’s clinics improperly billed Medicaid for dental services that were either unnecessary or never provided. The allegations also included billing for x-ray services conducted by unqualified personnel.
Under the settlement, Mohammadi agreed to pay $300,000 to refund Medicaid, with a portion allocated to the whistleblower as per whistleblower regulations. Importantly, the agreement did not imply any admission of guilt on Mohammadi’s part and did not affect his professional license.
“This settlement was reached to avoid further disruption to my business after an extensive investigation threatened our participation in Medicaid,” Mohammadi stated. He characterized the internal review as damaging, leading him to agree to the settlement to restore normal operations.
Subsequent to the settlement, Tong’s office issued a press release detailing the accusations against Columbia Dental. The release stated that the clinic had billed Medicaid for services not performed, failing to meet required standards for certain procedures. It emphasized the responsibility of Medicaid providers to ensure the accuracy of their claims.
In response, Mohammadi filed a defamation lawsuit against both Tong and former Health Strategy Commissioner Diedre Gifford, asserting that the press release contained several inaccuracies. He claims the statements misled the public and damaged his clinics’ reputation. However, Vatti found that reputational harm alone does not constitute a legal claim sufficient to warrant the lawsuit.
The judge concluded that Mohammadi had not demonstrated a violation of any clearly established statutory or constitutional rights through the issuance of the press release.
As this legal saga unfolds, it highlights the complexities of balancing governmental immunity with allegations of misconduct in the healthcare sector.
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