Jurisdiction: Circuit Court for Mobile County, Alabama
Case No.: Not Assigned (Civil Complaint Filed July 2025)
Lower Tribunal Case No.: N/A (Original Jurisdiction)
Date: July 2025
Lower Court: Circuit Court for Mobile County, Judge TBD
Unmasking the Scheme: Alabama Cracks Down on Illegal Client Solicitation and Insurance Deception
In a sweeping and aggressive legal move, the State of Alabama has filed a civil complaint targeting a network of clinics, law firms, chiropractors, and so-called “runners” for orchestrating an alleged scheme to solicit auto accident victims and profit from deceptive medical treatment arrangements. The 42-page complaint outlines a complex web of parties who allegedly conspired to exploit personal injury cases by commodifying accident victims for financial gain.
The complaint, filed under Alabama’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act, alleges that the defendants—including South Alabama Medical & Rehab LLC (SAMR), Dolinsky Law Group, Vacek Law Group, and multiple individual actors—violated ethical, legal, and medical standards in a covert operation to generate revenue from inflated medical liens attached to accident settlements.
The Allegations: From Cold Calls to Clinic Coercion
According to the State, the core of the scheme relied on obtaining private accident report data—often through unlawful means—and using that information to aggressively solicit accident victims. These victims were reportedly contacted by individuals posing as “patient insurance advocates” and were told they were entitled to “free treatment” at SAMR’s Mobile, Alabama location. The solicitations were misleading, with callers often impersonating insurance representatives and pushing victims to schedule same-day appointments under false pretenses.
Once on-site, patients were allegedly funneled through a predetermined sequence of passive therapy treatments—regardless of actual medical need—and introduced to attorneys with pre-existing relationships to the clinic. In most cases, these attorneys were pre-selected before the patient even arrived, and no licensed physician was involved in treatment decisions. The patients were promised free care, but their eventual settlements were encumbered by exaggerated or falsified medical bills.
The Key Players and Alleged Roles
The complaint categorizes the defendants into three groups:
- Clinic Defendants: Including SAMR, Chad Loveless (who allegedly managed staff despite holding only an Indiana license), Michael Kent Plambeck (with prior involvement in similar schemes), and Stephanie Wilson (clinic manager and alleged liaison to “runners”).
- Attorney Defendants: Including Dolinsky Law Group, Vacek Law Group, and affiliated attorneys such as Robert Dolinsky and Tiffany Tolliver, accused of accepting clients through unethical referrals.
- Runner Defendants: Identified as fictitious parties A through GG, these individuals are alleged to have illegally obtained accident reports and cold-called victims under false identities.
Of particular concern is the intentional naming of SAMR to resemble USA Health, a respected local institution, potentially to confuse or gain credibility among unsuspecting accident victims.
Legal and Ethical Violations at Stake
The State of Alabama argues that this arrangement violates multiple statutes and rules, including:
- The Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct prohibiting direct solicitation and fee-sharing with non-lawyers;
- The Chiropractic Board Rules, which restrict exploitation of patients for financial gain;
- Insurance Fraud statutes, particularly when medical billing is manipulated to inflate settlement values;
- The Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which forms the basis for the state’s pursuit of injunctive relief.
The complaint stops short of confirming that insurance claims were submitted fraudulently, but notes that even the promise of “free” care—followed by encumbering patient settlements—qualifies as deception under state law.
Implications: A Wake-Up Call for Legal and Medical Professionals
If the State is successful in this case, the ruling could set a powerful precedent for how injury clinics, law firms, and third-party marketers operate in the personal injury space—not just in Alabama, but across the country.
The growing intersection of marketing, legal services, and healthcare has blurred ethical lines, especially as competition among law firms intensifies. This case suggests that a small but dangerous portion of the industry may be prioritizing profits over patient care and client integrity.
Should the court grant injunctive relief or pursue sanctions, it could lead to permanent bans on these parties operating in Alabama and trigger disciplinary action from respective licensing boards in multiple states.
Today’s Insight
“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.”
— Tacitus, Roman Historian