MiMedx filed counterclaim by third former employee

The third of 10 defendants who were sued earlier this year by MiMedx filed counterclaims against the company. Jake Heikkinen, a former MiMedx employee, states in the filing that he left the company because of “MiMedx’s schemes to bilk Medicare and other government and third-party taxpayers” and “‘to incentivize and pressure healthcare providers to treat wounded veterans, diabetics, chronic wound sufferers and other patients with medically unnecessary or unsuitable products-all to the detriment of patients and the federal government.” Heikkinen also formally presented his answers and defenses to MiMedx’s lawsuit which claimed that the 10 former employees, who all recently left the company, allegedly breached their contractual obligations to MiMedx. The filing describes the MiMedx suit as a “blatant intimidation tactic.” Specifically, the counterclaims by Heikkinen allege that MiMedx “engaged in and has directed members of its sales team including Mr. Heikkinen to engage in, predatory sales practices aimed at increasing its revenue by incentivizing fraud on the U.S. government, including Medicare fraud.” The claims filed by Heikkinen’s attorneys allege that he left MiMedx after “MiMedx tried to compel its employees to continue selling a product that the FDA determined could not lawfully be marketed without prior FDA approval.” The counterclaims come on the heels of two other complaints filed this month on behalf of former MiMedx employees, Lora Whooley, and Caralyn Gargan.