dailyloe.com – A Brooklyn personal injury attorney allegedly ran a massive insurance fraud scheme using staged car accidents. FedEx filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the Ikhilov Law Group and its owner. The lawsuit targets attorney Zorik ‘Erik’ Ikhilov and his alleged associates.
The 92-page suit accuses the group of running a sophisticated ring involving doctors and medical providers. Their goal was to bilk the delivery giant through bogus liability claims. The case is being brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
‘The staged accidents, coordinated medical referrals, and rapid escalation to injections or surgeries all serve a single purpose,’ states the Manhattan federal court filing. The purpose was manufacturing prerequisites for a personal injury action. ‘Filing such a suit is the only path to the substantial recoveries the enterprise seeks,’ the papers state.
The group allegedly staged or exaggerated vehicle wrecks to inflate medical bills. They routed phony victims through rounds of medical treatments. They targeted FedEx and the company’s ‘deep pockets,’ according to the suit.
The lawsuit comes as Governor Kathy Hochul ramps up her campaign to crack down on such scams. Hochul has been pushing a proposal to alter New York’s liability statute. This issue is a sticking point holding up the state budget.
‘To all the legislators claiming fraud doesn’t exist, here’s your proof,’ said Tom Stebbins of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York. ‘This case should be required reading in Albany. New York’s liability laws enable and reward lawyer-led criminal enterprises.’
The suit lays out four cases where the ‘enterprise’ allegedly sought to milk FedEx. One case involved a minor accident where a FedEx driver tapped another vehicle’s bumper. Photographs showed minimal damage and first responders were not called.
The claimant went to a doctor connected with Ikhilov’s alleged scheme two days later. He was diagnosed with much more severe injuries there. He was directed to chiropractic care at the same clinic.[]
Source: New York Post
