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PAY DISPUTE BRINGS SPLIT AT PRACTICE BY JIM HALL The lawsuits filed by two former employees also allege that Dr. Joon Kil improperly siphoned money from his medical practice for personal and family uses. Bobbi Clarke, former practice administrator at Kil's Central Virginia OB/GYN, makes the allegation, as does Dr. Barbara Mercado, a former obstetrician/gynecologist there. Clarke and Mercado filed separate lawsuits against Kil in Fredericksburg Circuit Court. Mercado and Kil settled her suit last year. Clarke and Kil settled her suit Feb. 1. The suits allege that Kil: Used Central Virginia money for personal expenses for himself and his family, including vacations, clothing, college tuition and entertainment. Credited payments received for the work of his employee physicians to his own account rather than to the employee doctors' accounts, which lowered the income of the employee physicians or made it harder for them to earn performance bonuses, according to the lawsuits. Deposited third-party payments intended for Central Virginia OB/GYN to his personal accounts rather than to the practice's account. Used Central Virginia OB/GYN funds to pay the expenses of his other businesses. In his rebuttal to Clarke's lawsuit, Kil acknowledged that he and other employees at the practice "directed Central Virginia funds to himself and family members to cover expenses of various kinds." But he denied that he deposited third-party payments intended for Central Virginia OB/GYN into his personal accounts. He also denied that he funded his other businesses from Central Virginia accounts. And he denied that he allocated payments to himself that should have gone to his employee physicians. Instead, he blamed Clarke, because she had control of the day-to-day finances of the practice. He said in court papers that she made changes to "billing records for the purpose of reducing certain employee physician compensation." He also accused Clarke of embezzling $130,000 from the practice in 2010 by charging personal items to the practice's charge card. Clarke "created and encouraged a culture in which employees, specifically including herself, did not maintain a proper accounting of the monies of Central Virginia," according to Kil's rebuttal. Kil and Clarke declined requests from The Free Lance-Star for interviews. The two, through their attorneys, did offer a joint statement, which said in part: "Dr. Joon Kil and Ms. Bobbi Clarke worked closely together for 25 years, building Central Virginia OB/GYN Group, Inc. into a thriving medical practice. In 2011, Ms. Clarke retired from the practice. In working through the details of her departure from the practice, both Ms. Clarke and Dr. Kil have made statements and taken actions which they now regret." Jim Hall: 540/374-5433jhall@freelancestar.com DOCTOR SIPHONED FUNDS FOR PERSONAL USE, SUITS ALLEGE Dr. Joon Kil and Bobbi Clarke, his former practice manager, declined comment about the allegations in her lawsuit against him. The two settled that lawsuit Feb. 1 and offered The Free Lance-Star a joint statement. The statement, in its entirety, says: "Dr. Joon Kil and Ms. Bobbi Clarke worked closely together for 25 years, building Central Virginia OB/GYN Group, Inc. into a thriving medical practice. In 2011, Ms. Clarke retired from the practice. In working through the details of her departure from the practice, both Ms. Clarke and Dr. Kil have made statements and taken actions which they now regret. At this time, they have resolved all of their differences and the lawsuit that was pending in the circuit court is being dismissed at their mutual request. Both wish each other every happiness and success as they move on with their lives."

Date published: 2/12/2012

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