Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Uber is taking legal action against a personal injury law firm in an effort to combat what it describes as a fraudulent scheme to manipulate car accident claims for hefty payouts. The company’s complaint accused Simon & Simon PC, led by attorney Marc I. Simon, of orchestrating a conspiracy that involved several medical providers to inflate the value of personal injury cases.
According to the lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday, the law firm allegedly directed clients involved in minor vehicular incidents to seek emergency room treatment days or weeks after the accident, even if they were initially unharmed. This practice is said to have transformed low-value claims into suits demanding over a million dollars from Uber.
The complaint detailed that clients were often funneled to Dr. Clifton Burt of Premier Pain & Rehab Center, and chiropractors Ethel Harvey and Daniel Piccillo from Philadelphia Spine Associates LLC. These professionals are also named in the lawsuit. Uber’s attorneys contend that Simon & Simon scheduled clients for bulk appointments and that the treatments they received often bore no relevance to any legitimate injuries.
Moreover, the lawsuit claims that Dr. Lance Yarus was responsible for producing reports that indicated a need for lifelong medical care as a result of the accidents. Allegations suggest that Yarus, another defendant, used nearly identical report templates across multiple clients in 2023 and 2024 and generated substantial income from his examinations.
Specific instances of alleged fraud were cited in the lawsuit, although the identities and exact locations of certain claimants were not disclosed. One highlighted case involved a three-car accident in April 2024, where no injuries were reported, and no ambulance was summoned. Despite this, one driver, referred to in court documents as “Claimant A,” supposedly attended 27 appointments at a chiropractic office over the following months.
The suit claims that Claimant A later received spinal treatments from Burt, culminating in a “life care plan” with projected costs exceeding $1 million. Uber’s legal team asserts that there is no evidence to suggest Claimant A sought further medical assistance following these appointments.
In a twist, when Uber attempted to subpoena Burt for a deposition, Simon & Simon removed the company from nearly 30 cases associated with Burt, prompting suspicions of tampering with evidence. The law firm did not respond to requests for comments, and attempts to reach the implicated medical professionals were also unsuccessful.
Marc I. Simon, who founded the firm in 2010, has faced scrutiny in the past for his practices. Earlier this year, he was fined $7,500 by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for mishandling a separate personal injury case. The court’s memorandum expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of the medical care recommended to Simon’s clients, noting a pattern of excessive treatment claims that seldom led to actual medical pursuit.
Uber maintaining that the firm’s actions reflect a larger issue of fraudulent personal injury claims in Philadelphia and beyond, indicated that such practices could drive up costs for consumers in services ranging from ridesharing to dining. The company’s senior director for public policy, Adam Blinick, stated that tackling fraud on their platform is a priority, leading to actions like this civil suit under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Uber’s lawsuit has broader implications as the company has filed similar complaints against law firms in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. In civil RICO cases, courts can impose various penalties against those found to be operating as part of a racketeering enterprise.
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