UnitedHealth hires law firm, demands doctor recant statements on social media
UnitedHealth Group has hired a law firm specializing in defamation, ultimately threatening to sue a doctor over claims she made in a social media post.
According to a report from Bloomberg Law, UnitedHealth has retained Clare Locke, a prestigious Virginia-based law firm best known for representing Dominion Voting Systems in their lawsuit against Fox News over claims of election fraud. Clare Locke and Dominion ultimately won the lawsuit, receiving a payout of $787.5 million.
In serving UnitedHealth, the law firm has been tasked with policing claims online that the company deems inaccurate and irresponsible. In a statement to Bloomberg, the insurance giant confirmed it had contacted Elisabeth Potter, a plastic surgeon in Texas, demanding a retraction of her statements. The company claims she is using “her social media following to perpetuate inaccuracies, which is irresponsible, unethical and dangerous.”
In a viral Instagram post dated Jan. 7, Potter claimed her cancer patient was denied a hospital stay after surgery, despite the procedure being pre-authorized by the insurer.
“I had to scrub out mid-surgery to call United, only to find that the person on the line didn’t even have access to the patient’s full medical information, despite the procedure already being pre-approved,” Potter said.
UnitedHealth denies this. In a letter said to be sent to Potter’s attorney, signed in part by Tom Clare, co-founder of Clare Locke, the company demanded the doctor apologize and condemn the violent comments resulting from the post.
Through her attorney, Potter declined to make any such statement.
For the full story, read Bloomberg Law’s coverage at the link below.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.