A New Zealand judge ordered a local surgeon to repay more than $1 million to Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) for overdue invoices after ruling that the doctor had forged documents in order to dodge his debt.
Surgeon Gregory Dale Finch had attempted to argue that Medtronic must seek compensation from his company, Greg Finch Orthopedics Ltd, rather than from him. He went so far as producing a Medtronic invoice addressed to the company rather than himself.
Medtronic maintained that it had always billed Finch and that previous payments had come from non-business accounts. The court permitted forensic analysis of computers belonging both to Medtronic and to Finch, which concluded last year that Finch’s invoice had been faked, according to the NZ Herald.
Finch’s debts had been accumulating for more than 4 years as he continued to order Medtronic supplies and promise to make payments, according to the complaint. The doctor went so far as
Medtronic continued to provide products in the best interest of patients, the company told the court.
Finch was ordered to pay more than $1 million, plus interest, for medical supplies and devices he purchased from Medtronic, as well as another $100,300 in costs and disbursements.
