Ohio Agent Appeals Fraud Suspension

An Ohio insurance agent has appealed a five-year license suspension from the Ohio Department of Insurance for issuing fraudulent certificates to physicians who contracted for medical malpractice coverage.

John Westhoven filed a lawsuit in Lucas County Common Pleas Court against the state agency, claiming the disciplinary action was unconstitutional, unreasonable, arbitrary, contrary to law, and not supported by evidence presented during a hearing.

Westhoven, 47, was accused of writing policies for professional medical liability insurance to three doctors in May 2002, and November 2002, but failing to obtain the actual coverage, leaving the doctors without insurance.

In a decision released Aug. 10, Ann Womer Benjamin, superintendent of the agency, suspended Westhoven’s license because it was an “intentional act with the potential for significant harm to the physicians and their patients.”