Former employees accuse Spring medical group of malicious acts, defamation

Gastroenterologists are suing after, they say, their former employer refuses to pay them as required under their employment agreement.

Medical doctors Atif Shahzad and Udayini Kodali filed a lawsuit on June 17 in Harris County District Court against Digestive Liver & Disease Specialists, of Spring, and others citing breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties and defamation.

Board-certified gastroenterologists Shahzad and Kodali say that after they terminated their employment with the defendants, they were maliciously denied the amounts owed to them under their employment contracts, including money owed for unused vacation, sick leave and professional meeting days.

According to the brief, the defendants also committed a crime by refusing to give the plaintiffs the names and addresses of the patients seen by them within the past two years, in accordance with 22 Texas Administrative Code section 165.5(c)(2).

The doctors are seeking injunctive relief and damages, as well as attorney’s fees and court costs. They are being represented in the case by Houston attorney Cynthia Levin Moulton.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-36384.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.