Judge Tosses RICO Claims Against Former UVA Health Leaders

A federal judge on Oct. 21 dismissed all claims against former leaders of Charlottesville-based UVA Health in a lawsuit filed by four physicians, according to Becker's Hospital Review. The judge also ruled that the University of Virginia is immune from suit.

The plaintiffs, cardiothoracic surgeons Jeffrey Young, MD; Kenan Yount, MD; Mark Roeser, MD; and John Kern, MD, had brought claims that included allegations under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a statute originally designed to combat organized crime. Using RICO in disputes between physicians and hospital administrators is an aggressive legal strategy, and the dismissal shows how high the bar remains for proving a coordinated pattern of racketeering inside an academic health system.

The ruling is a win for the named former executives and for public universities that often claim sovereign immunity from such suits. For hospital leaders nationwide, it signals that courts continue to scrutinize, and frequently reject, racketeering theories in internal governance and employment conflicts.