A federal judge in Atlanta has thrown out the largest criminal kickbacks case in Georgia against former health care executives, largely blaming the government for taking too long to reach trial.
Former Tenet Healthcare executives John Holland and William Moore and former medical clinic CEO Edmundo Cota waited eight years for a trial that never came after being accused in 2017 of running a $400 million fraud and kickbacks scheme between 2000 and 2013.
Lawyers for Moore and Cota said they’re thrilled with the decision issued Thursday by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, who said federal prosecutors are most at fault for the case’s stunningly slow progression. In a 70-page order, Totenberg said she had to permanently dismiss the case because Holland, Moore and Cota’s constitutional rights to a speedy trial were violated…