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Earlier this month, South Florida media outlets trumpeted the authorities’ takedown of yet another suspected “pill mill” operating in Fort Lauderdale . So-called “pill mills” – clinics that deal in high volumes of powerful pain medications – have become the target of increased scrutiny at a state and federal level.Florida legislators and anti-drug officials have made sweeping efforts to rid the state of “pill mills” and curtail the flourishing interstate drug trade. The problem is that it’s not only the guilty who have been targeted in these crackdowns. As Fort Lauderdale-based criminal defense attorney Robert D. Malove has found, legitimate physicians and patients have been swept up in the fury and been left to cope with the consequences.
"Anyone who has ever suffered from chronic pain knows how miserable life can be,” Mr. Malove said. “Pain sufferers need medication to perform even the simplest physical tasks and just to make it through the day. While there are some patients who try to manipulate the system, those abuses are done by a small percentage of the patients. Unfortunately once a pain clinic is shut down, many legitimate patients turn to the black market to get their meds on the street, which has the effect of creating more crime than existed in the first place."
In addition to impacting patients’ lives, unwarranted or overzealous busts can bring an innocent physician’s career to a screeching halt. In April 2013, attorney Bernard Cassidy – Mr. Malove’s co-counsel on pain clinic cases and contributor to Mr. Malove’s book “White Collar Crime: Health Care Fraud” – helped to secure an acquittal for his client Anthony Posca. Mr. Posca was one of three doctors wrongly accused of writing false prescriptions for oxycodone in a Jacksonville clinic. The defense was able to demonstrate to a federal jury that all three doctors legitimately cared about patients’ health and were unaware of malfeasance on behalf of the clinic’s owner.
Seven people – including several medical professionals – were arrested in this latest bust in Fort Lauderdale. The media has been quick to portray the accused in a negative light, using the prejudicial term “pill mill” in headlines and news copy. As a defense attorney and patient advocate, Mr. Malove stresses the importance of waiting until a fair trial has been completed before issuing any judgments on this, or any other so-called “pill mill” cases in Florida.
About Attorney Robert D. Malove:
Mr. Malove has spent nearly 30 years providing criminal defense to those facing serious charges in Florida. His areas of practice include pain clinic defense, DUI defense, healthcare fraud defense, domestic violence, and drug charges. His firm also has a strong focus on topics like expungement, post-conviction relief, and federal sentencing.
Though Mr. Malove now operates a successful private firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, his previous work included serving as a public defender for 12 years. He has appeared as a guest commentator on COURT-TV and has been honored with the prestigious “AV” rating from the International Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. He also is the author of two legal guides and a free newsletter.
Contact Info:
Name: Robert Malove
Email: Send Email
Organization: The Law Office of Robert D. Malove
Address: 200 S. Andrews Avenue, Ste #901 Ft Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: 954-861-0384
Website: http://www.fortlauderdalecriminalatty.com
Release ID: 19357
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