SOCIAL SECURITY LAWSUIT Attorney, Former Judge Accused Of Fraud In Lawsuit
Reported by: Associated Press
Web Producer: Jeff Morris
Reported: Feb. 19, 2013 4:37 PM EST
Eyewitness News Photo
Louisville
, Kentucky
Two Social Security Administration employees have accused an eastern Kentucky attorney who specializes in disability claims and a former administrative judge of scheming to defraud the federal government out of millions of dollars.
In a lawsuit unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Pikeville, lawyer Eric C. Conn and former judge David Daugherty are accused of manipulating the system for assigning appeals in disability claims to ensure Daugherty heard Conn's cases.
Daugherty worked in the Huntington, W.Va., office of the Social Security Administration. He retired in July 2011. Conn has offices in Ashland and Stanville.
The lawsuit alleges that Daugherty awarded disability payments to Conn's clients at a higher rate than other judges did.
Attempts to locate Daugherty on Tuesday were unsuccessful. A message left for Conn was not immediately returned.
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Associated Press
