Courtesy photo
Watts Guerra LLP attorneys hold a press conference announcing lawsuits against South Texas' Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada.
Former patients Gloria M. Gabriel and Christina Deras filed suit against the doctor in Bexar County for giving them a false diagnosis. The San Antonio law firm Watts Guerra LLP represent the pair.
"These women entrusted their lives to a doctor who had taken an oath to preserve life," said Mikal Watts, senior partner at Watts Guerra. "Instead, he chose money and subjected his patients to debilitating treatments and life-long side effects."
The 61-year-old rheumatologist, who had practices in San Antonio, Ediburg and Brownsville, was charged last week for misdiagnosing patients so he could support a "lavish" and "opulent lifestyle," according to the U.S. Justice Department. His unnecessary treatments included chemotherapy drugs and other toxic substances.
The federal fraud case involves $240 million in claims, in part based on "fraudulent statements" supplied to health care benefit programs between 2000 and 2018, according to the indictment. Zamora received $50 million in payouts.
Among his purchases were an Eclipse Jet, a Maserati coupe and multiple real-estate holdings, the filing also states.
The FBI has established a victim hotline, 1-833-432-4873, and a website to locate Zamora-Quezada's patients.
Stay on top of San Antonio news and views. Sign up for our Weekly Headlines Newsletter.
