FRIDLEY, Minn. — Medical device maker Medtronic Inc. will pay the U.S. Department of Justice $9.9 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of giving doctors gifts in return for using its defibrillators and pacemakers.
Medtronic has not admitted any wrongdoing as a result of the settlement. The lawsuit unsealed this week accused Medtronic of funneling « millions of dollars in unrestricted grant money to physicians » to get them to encourage the use of Medtronic defibrillators and pacemakers in patients whose « mild heart failure symptoms did not meet criteria for an implantable device. »
The settlement is the result of a whistleblower complaint filed by a former Medtronic employee, Adolfo Schroeder. The Department of Justice says Schroeder will receive about $1.7 million.