FBI Agent’s Brother Suing Zimmer
WARSAW — The brother of an FBI agent who inspired the move “Donnie Brasco” is now suing Zimmer Biomet for $15 million after he was allegedly wrongfully fired for his testimony before a grand jury.
MassDevice reports Dominick Pistone was allegedly fired from Zimmer after he learned a doctor was performing unnecessary double knee replacement surgeries using an implant by a company called OstisMed Corporation. The product, OstisKnee, had not been approved by the FDA. Pistone had sold Zimmer products for 25 years.
At his brother’s urging, Pistone initially reported his discovery to the FBI but was told he may or may not be kept anonymous. He then called a hotline Zimmer had set up as part of an earlier deferred prosecution agreement pertaining to a different matter. He also wrote letters to local attorneys and to a newspaper but received no response from any of his attempts.
Pistone was subpoenaed in February, 2015, to testify about what he knew about the unnecessary knee surgeries. He testified in March and was fired from his job in June. Pistone later filed a complaint stating Zimmer had fired him due to his grand jury testimony and his complaints about the doctor.
To read the article by MassDevice, click here.