Ex-MiMedx Employee Jake Heikkinen Files
Counterclaims Alleging Schemes 'To Bilk Medicare' and 'Incentivize
and Pressure Healthcare Providers' per Mintz Attorneys
MARIETTA, Ga., Sept. 4,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The third of 10 defendants who
were sued earlier this year by MiMedx Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDXG)
today filed counterclaims against the company. Jake
Heikkinen, a former MiMedx employee, states in the filing that
he left the placental biologics company because of "MiMedx's
schemes to bilk Medicare and other government and third-party
taxpayers" and "'to incentivize and pressure healthcare providers
to treat wounded veterans, diabetics, chronic wound sufferers and
other patients with medically unnecessary or unsuitable
products—all to the detriment of patients and the federal
government." Heikkinen also formally presented his answers and
defenses to MiMedx's lawsuit which claimed that the 10 former
employees, who all recently left the company,
allegedly breached their contractual obligations
to MiMedx. The filing describes the MiMedx suit as a "blatant
intimidation tactic."
Specifically, the counterclaims by Heikkinen
allege that MiMedx "engaged in and has directed
members of its sales team including Mr. Heikkinen to engage in,
predatory sales practices aimed at increasing its revenue by
incentivizing fraud on the
United States government, including Medicare
fraud." The filing also states, "These examples are
only the most recent in a long line of disreputable and unlawful
business practices that MiMedx has engaged in."
The claims reference a warning letter issued by the FDA to
MiMedx's CEO, Joseph H. Capper,
concerning its AXIOFILL product on December
20, 2023, and assert that this former employee and
others felt "that the company had wasted the sales team's time
claiming that there were no issues regarding AxioFill" even after
receiving the letter, and that MiMedx's "lack of communication and
transparency" regarding the facts were disturbing.
The claims filed by Heikkinen's attorneys at Mintz and Fellows
Labriola allege that he left MiMedx after "MiMedx
tried to compel its employees to continue selling a product that
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ('FDA') determined could not
lawfully be marketed without prior FDA approval."
Today's counterclaims come on the heels of two other complaints
filed this month on behalf of former MiMedx employees, Lora Whooley, and Caralyn Gargan. To read the Whooley claim,
please click here HERE, and to read the Gargan claim, please
click HERE.
Caralyn Gargan's
https://peachcourt.com/Redirect?id=CIPG3FVQ
Lara Whooley's Counter Claim:
https://peachcourt.com/Redirect?id=SGQEOGT4
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/third-defendant-fights-back-against-mimedx-claiming-disreputable-and-unlawful-business-practices-302238574.html
SOURCE Mintz