A federal court has barred two Dallas-area physicians from prescribing opioids and imposed $1.2 million in judgments for violating the Controlled Substances Act.
In a 2019 civil complaint, the Justice Department alleged Cesar Pena-Rodriguez, MD, and Leovares Mendez, MD, issued prescriptions for opioids outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, according to an Oct. 10 news release.
The complaint alleged the pair issued thousands of prescriptions without regard for patient harm, including prescriptions for dangerous opioid combinations.
The court imposed a $291,451 civil penalty judgment against Dr. Mendez and a $914,021 civil penalty judgment against Dr. Pena-Rodriguez.