Manhattan attorney Jon Norinsberg of Norinsberg Law today filed a $100 million civil rights action in the District of New Jersey on behalf of his client, New Jersey pain management Doctor Terry Ramnanan.
The suit was filed against the New Jersey Attorney General (NJAG), several employees in the NJAG's Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, the Union County Prosecutor's Office (collectively, the "State Defendants") and two New Jersey chiropractors.
For over 38 years, Dr. Ramnanan was a highly respected pain management doctor who practiced in Paramus, New Jersey and enjoyed a stellar reputation among the medical community and with his patients.
The complaint declares that on August 1, 2017, Dr. Ramnanan was charged in a "kickback scheme" for allegedly paying a Totowa chiropractor for patient referrals to Dr. Ramnanan's pain management facility in Paramus between 2012 and 2016. However, there was no evidence that Dr. Ramnanan had engaged in any kickback scheme whatsoever, and the State Defendants cheated, lied and manufactured evidence against Dr. Ramnanan in their misguided, utterly baseless prosecution.
The complaint contends that after forcing Dr. Ramnanan to defend himself against fabricated charges for nearly two years, and completely destroying his reputation and career in the process, the State Defendants' sham case finally ended on May 23, 2019, when New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert Vinci dismissed the entire ten count indictment against Dr. Ramnanan.
The complaint states that Judge Vinci concluded that the "the State [had] intentionally subverted the grand jury process resulting in grand jury presentation that was fundamentally unfair." By engaging in such misconduct, "[t]he State lost sight of its obligation to do justice and instead sought to indict the defendant on the most serious charges it could present. Had the State not misled the grand jurors regarding the law applicable to the charges and had the State not charged [the] defendant improperly...and had the State not and misled the grand jury...the Court is not convinced the grand jury would have indicted the defendant."
The complaint asserts that Dr. Ramnanan was completely innocent of the crimes charged, as Judge Vinci confirmed: "There were no fraudulent claims, there was no over-billing or overcharging. All of the amounts paid by the insurers were for medical procedures needed by and performed on their insureds, amounts that the insurance companies were obligated to pay pursuant to their respective insurance contracts." In arguing otherwise, the State Defendants' had engaged in deceptive conduct that was "improper[]," "intentional[]," "extremely misleading," "flat-out wrong," "incorrect[] and misleading[]," and "patently false." "By hiding the ball from the grand jurors and not advising them of a fact that was critical to the grand jurors' evaluation, the State intentionally subverted the grand jury process."
The complaint also avers that the State Defendants publicized Dr. Ramnanan's indictments for their own political agenda by issuing false, defamatory and highly sensationalized press releases. Specifically, NJAG Gurbir S. Grewal deliberately publicized the false charges against Dr. Ramnanan in order to enhance his own power and prestige. He not only issued a press release boasting about this "high profile" case his office was handling, but also bragged about Dr. Ramnanan's indictment on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. These stories were picked up by other news outlets and caused further substantial harm to Dr. Ramnanan's reputation and practice. As a result of the State Defendants' publicity, the news about Dr. Ramnanan's indictments was broadcast locally, nationally and internationally.
Dr. Ramnanan's attorney Jon Norinsberg said, "This case is a shocking example of prosecutorial misconduct. I have never seen such fraud, dishonesty and deception by state officials in my entire career. We will fight vigorously and with passion to fully vindicate Dr. Ramnanan's rights, and to hold these lawless state officials accountable for their gross misconduct."
Norinsberg added, "Dr. Ramnanan has suffered, and continues to suffer, severe and irreparable harm to his reputation. His medical practice and income have been destroyed. We are confident that when a jury hears his story, they will be truly outraged by what happened to this innocent man."
The lawsuit seeks $100 million in compensatory and punitive damages as well as litigation costs and expenses.
The case caption is Ramnanan v. Keiffer, et. al, 20 Civ. 12747 (DNJ).
Norinsberg Law is built on a core philosophy that success comes only from meticulous preparation and hard work. The firm believes very strongly that civil rights cases are not won by "showmanship" but rather by relentless and time-consuming preparation outside of court. The firm is committed to fighting passionately and aggressively for each and every client who walks through our doors, no matter who the client is or what the size of their case may be. Visit https://www.norinsberglaw.com