January 26, 2012 — A new whistle-blower complaint has been filed against several people involved in Lap Band surgical centers affiliated with the 1-800-GET-THIN advertising campaign. The complaint is brought by two former workers and 11 patients. They accuse the company of violating health and safety codes, violating labor codes, and violating the Racketeering Influence And Corrupt Organizations Act.

The whistle-blower suit brings some serious accusations against 1-800-GET-THIN, LLC and the people involved in its conduct, particularly Julian and Michael Omidi, two former doctors reputedly behind the operation. The lawsuit is brought by Dyanne Deuel, a former manager at surgery centers affiliated with 1-800-GET-THIN, and Karla Osorio, a surgical technician.

The whistle-blower lawsuit accuses the Omidi brothers and 1-800-GET-THIN of the following actions:

• Employing commission-based illegal immigrants to staff the 1-800-GET-THIN call center, who then refer patients to one of the Omidi’s surgical centers
• Submitting fraudulent billings to patients’ health insurance
• Unsanitary and substandard surgical facilities
• Staff were instructed by the Omidis to perform medically unnecessary surgical procedures in order to increase the billing to patients’ health insurance
• They do not properly sterilize medical equipment
• They do not stock medications or equipment to handle a life-threatening medical emergency
• Staff are required to perform procedures that they are not qualified to perform
• When patients have died, they have covered up the evidence to prevent investigations by public health authorities and law enforcement, including falsifying medical records, removing malfunctioning medical equipment, and concealing information from inspectors

Some of these allegations have evidence in public records. Inspectors from the Department of Public Health documented unsanitary conditions at the centers, following an unannounced visit to a Beverly Hills facility in May 2009. Although the agency filled 22 pages with health and safety violations, they did not shut down the facility. Furthermore, they never again conducted an unannounced inspection of the facility, or any other facilities under the Omidis’ control or management.

The whistleblower suit also says that staff at the facilities regularly perform medical duties beyond their training or licensing. In 2007, the Medical Board of California accused Michael Omidi of allowing unlicensed employees to perform liposuction and suture patients. However, the Board did not revoke his medical license — instead, they placed him on a 3-year probation.

At least five patients have died in surgical centers affiliated with the 1-800-GET-THIN campaign since 2009. If you or someone you know has been injured because of weight-loss surgery, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries if you file a Lap Band lawsuit or a 1-800-GET-THIN lawsuit.

How do I contact a Lawyer for a 1-800-GET-THIN Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting 1-800-GET-THIN injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by Lap Band surgery, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Lap Band Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.

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