Thursday, April 5, 2007

Is the criminal investigation over in the Reciprocal insurance fiasco?

According to this Virginia Lawyers Weekly article, the criminal investigation may be over in the aftermath of the Reciprocal of America's downfall. As recounted in this New York Times article, thousands of doctors and lawyers suddenly found themselves without malpractice insurance due to the financial shenanigans and insolvency of the Reciprocal. Two criminal convictions ensued, but the forensic accountant working the case, Thomas Gober, expressed his frustration with the Department of Justice and specifically Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty for the apparent end of the investigation. Gober contends that the "case has only gotten stronger since McNulty left the U.S. attorney's office." Lawyers were pretty fortunate, but as the Times article reports, some doctors and patients were not so lucky. With the millions of dollars lost, seems hard to believe only two people were involved. Other than Virginia Lawyers Weekly, no other media outlet seems to be following the case.