Class-Action Suit Filed against Abusive Dental Clinic Chain
A class-action suit has been filed against FORBA Holdings, LLC, several related companies, and as-yet-unnamed dentists who have operated “Small Smiles” and related clinics in 23 states. The complaint (shown below) charges that the defendants conspired to perform unnecessary procedures and use unnecessary physical restraints upon children in order to fraudulently obtain extra compensation. The complaint estimates that at least 300,000 children may have been treated improperly. In January 2010, the U.S. Justice Department announced that FORBA had agreed to pay $24 million to settle qi tam (“whistleblower”) suits alleging that it had caused fraudulent bills to be submitted to state Medicaid programs. The unnecessary work included multiple stainless steel caps and and as many as 16 pulpotomies (“baby root canals”) given in one sitting. …
Continue Reading >
