CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- John Anderson King, an osteopathic surgeon who is the target of dozens of malpractice lawsuits, has filed a lawsuit seeking $72.5 million in damages against Putnam General Hospital and it's then-owner, Hospital Corporation of America.

King alleges that the hospital paid bonuses to surgeons for processing patients more quickly. He also alleges that he lost his surgery privileges in retaliation for not investing in a physician's business.

Representing himself, King filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Nashville, Tenn., where HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, is based.

Putnam General and HCA recently paid tens of millions of dollars to settle most of the 124 medical malpractice lawsuits filed by King's former patients.

Those suits were generated during King's seven months at Putnam General before his privileges were partially suspended on June 5, 2003.

Other defendants in King's new lawsuit include Frank L. Molinaro, CEO at Putnam General when King was on its staff, who is now working for another HCA facility in Illinois, as well as physicians James B. Cox and Leonard Fichter, Putnam General's chief of surgery.

In 2003 and 2004, the suit alleges, Fichter worked with the Kimber Group, a billing agency based in Beaumont, Texas, that paid Fichter "a global fee ... for the placement of the hardware that was also inserted by Dr. King."

During some of his controversial surgeries, King inserted various devices into the spines of some of his patients. Lawsuits against King and the makers of those devices are still pending in Putnam County Circuit Court.

King also alleges Fichter introduced an "incentive plan" for all surgery personnel at Putnam General that paid bonuses for processing patients more quickly.

Also in his legal complaint, King states he "entered into an income guarantee with corporate HCA in October of 2002 to begin orthopedic surgery at Putnam General Hospital in Hurricane. ...

"Dr. King was to sublease office space from Dr. James B. Cox beginning in November of 2002.

"This relationship was terminated at the end of February 2003, after Dr. James B. Cox demanded that Dr. King sign a contract which would have breached HCA's corporate contract."

In his lawsuit, King alleges "a serious hostility developed" between himself and Cox after King refused to buy a financial interest in CCD Properties LLC, owned by Cox and two other physicians.

King alleged those other physicians - Scott Duffy and Sean DiCristifaro - played a major role in removing his anesthesia privileges at Putnam General.

The lawsuit alleges that after King refused to invest in CCD Properties, those three doctors worked to "produce organized chaos in the life of Dr. King to offer a serious distraction to conceal their pattern of racketeering activity and ... false claims."

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- John Anderson King, an osteopathic surgeon who is the target of dozens of malpractice lawsuits, has filed a lawsuit seeking $72.5 million in damages against Putnam General Hospital and it's then-owner, Hospital Corporation of America.

King alleges that the hospital paid bonuses to surgeons for processing patients more quickly. He also alleges that he lost his surgery privileges in retaliation for not investing in a physician's business.

Representing himself, King filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Nashville, Tenn., where HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, is based.

Putnam General and HCA recently paid tens of millions of dollars to settle most of the 124 medical malpractice lawsuits filed by King's former patients.

Those suits were generated during King's seven months at Putnam General before his privileges were partially suspended on June 5, 2003.

Other defendants in King's new lawsuit include Frank L. Molinaro, CEO at Putnam General when King was on its staff, who is now working for another HCA facility in Illinois, as well as physicians James B. Cox and Leonard Fichter, Putnam General's chief of surgery.

In 2003 and 2004, the suit alleges, Fichter worked with the Kimber Group, a billing agency based in Beaumont, Texas, that paid Fichter "a global fee ... for the placement of the hardware that was also inserted by Dr. King."

During some of his controversial surgeries, King inserted various devices into the spines of some of his patients. Lawsuits against King and the makers of those devices are still pending in Putnam County Circuit Court.

King also alleges Fichter introduced an "incentive plan" for all surgery personnel at Putnam General that paid bonuses for processing patients more quickly.

Also in his legal complaint, King states he "entered into an income guarantee with corporate HCA in October of 2002 to begin orthopedic surgery at Putnam General Hospital in Hurricane. ...

"Dr. King was to sublease office space from Dr. James B. Cox beginning in November of 2002.

"This relationship was terminated at the end of February 2003, after Dr. James B. Cox demanded that Dr. King sign a contract which would have breached HCA's corporate contract."

In his lawsuit, King alleges "a serious hostility developed" between himself and Cox after King refused to buy a financial interest in CCD Properties LLC, owned by Cox and two other physicians.

King alleged those other physicians - Scott Duffy and Sean DiCristifaro - played a major role in removing his anesthesia privileges at Putnam General.

The lawsuit alleges that after King refused to invest in CCD Properties, those three doctors worked to "produce organized chaos in the life of Dr. King to offer a serious distraction to conceal their pattern of racketeering activity and ... false claims."

Cox did not return a telephone call to his offices at Teays Valley Orthopedic Center in Hurricane on Friday.

HCA officials did not return a telephone call made on Friday to their regional offices in Richmond, Va.

King's new suit also alleges Cox, Terry V. Cox and Susan B. Cox "conspired and willfully conducted an attempt to conduct financial transactions affecting healthcare benefits programs by submitting false claims" to federal health-care programs.

The lawsuit does not specify details of the alleged conspiracy, which King claims violated federal laws against laundering money and conspiring to file false financial claims. 

Putnam General partially suspended King's privileges in June 2003, after Dr. Edward G. Dawson, the late University of California at Los Angeles physician, completed an independent peer review report calling King "a snake-oil salesman" and a "criminal."

King left West Virginia shortly after that suspension.

In his new lawsuit, King gives a "mailing address" of 11310 South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Fla. - a building that apparently houses numerous businesses, including a firefighter's association, the United Parcel Service and companies selling real estate, computers, electronic equipment, hardwood and tile flooring, performance tickets and limousine services.

King has a long history of suing hospitals who terminated his privileges, medical boards and lawyers who represented him.

In late February, King sued the West Virginia Board of Osteopathy for $10 million in U.S. District Court for Northern West Virginia in Wheeling, claiming the board played a major role in causing him to lose medical licenses in several states.

In his new lawsuit, King attacks the Osteopathy Board again, stating: "Having the assistance of the media and trial lawyers, these physicians created national confusion that surpassed the media convictions of all the Duke University lacrosse players."

Since 1998, King has filed other federal suits against four hospitals that dismissed him from their staffs: Putnam General; Hillcrest Health Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.; Jackson County Hospital Corp. in Marianna, Fla.; and Donalsonville Hospital in Donalsonville, Ga.

Federal judges dismissed all four suits.

Charleston Area Medical Center bought Putnam General in September 2006 and now operates the facility as CAMC Teays Valley Hospital.

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 348-5164.