Judge Finds State Farm Can Pursue Unfair Trade Practices Claim Over Billing

Mealey's (June 18, 2019, 3:59 PM EDT) -- MIAMI — A federal judge in Florida on June 3 granted in part a doctor and clinic owner’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., finding that while the insurer can pursue a claim under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) for the defendants’ submission of more than 1,700 allegedly fraudulent bills, it must amend its allegations to comply with the heightened pleading requirement of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) (State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Manuel V. Feijoo, et al., No. 18-cv-23329-KMM, S.D. Fla., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 93343)....