THE federal government and a physician it earlier accused of dispensing opioids and other controlled substances have reached a settlement.
Dr. John Doyle, through attorney Steven Pixley, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Wessling filed a joint stipulation in federal court on Wednesday.
The parties said they will file a stipulated dismissal with prejudice upon the plaintiff’s receipt of the settlement payment, the amount of which was not mentioned.
The parties also requested that all upcoming deadlines and hearings be vacated.
In its lawsuit, the U.S. government is seeking civil penalties in the total amount of $4.9 million.
Doyle has denied the allegations against him and demanded a jury trial.
He said, “The prescriptions in question were issued pursuant to a bona fide physician-patient relationship in the usual course of practice with a good faith belief that the prescriptions and his treatment plan served a legitimate medical purpose.”
Prescriptions are lawful if they are “issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual scope of his professional practice,” Doyle added.
