Legal Ethics

Suit Claims Lawyer Fired for Refusing to Trade Clients with Medical Clinic

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A Kentucky lawyer claims in a lawsuit that his law firm directed him to trade clients with a chiropractor’s medical clinics and fired him when he refused.

The allegations by former associate Anthony Gadlage about his firm, Winters & Yonker, are similar to those made in two lawsuits last year by former clients, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. Gadlage’s suit alleges the law firm gets hundreds of injury patients from the clinics, and they expect hundreds of referrals in return.

The clinics are owned by a Florida chiropractor who advertises his 1-800-ASK GARY phone number. Gadlage told the Courier-Journal that insurers are reluctant to pay the clinics’ medical bills because they charge more, making cases harder to settle.

Winters & Yonker denies trading clients with the medical clinics. In a statement, the firm said it provides clients with a menu of medical providers it thinks well of, and clients sign a document saying they received a choice of doctors. The law firm’s lawyer, Ron Green, told the publication that Gadlage was fired when he missed a client meeting (Gadlage says he postponed it). Green says Gadlage filed the suit after the firm refused his request for “hush money.”

Prior coverage:

ABAJournal.com: “Suit: Law Firm, Medical Clinic Made Reciprocal Referrals”

ABAJournal.com: “Suit Claims Chiropractor’s 800 Number Used to Refer Cases to Law Firm”

ABAJournal.com: “After $2M Verdict, 2 Fla. Attorneys Now Face Civil Theft Ethics Case re Bitter Law Firm Breakup”

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