Opinion by Consumer Advocate Tim Bolen
For good reason, I’m beginning to get the impression that Aetna doesn’t like the articles I’ve been writing about the Cavitat v. Aetna Federal RICO (racketeering) case.
According to that Cavitat v. Aetna Federal RICO (racketeering) case, the Plaintiffs, CAVITAT Medical Technologies, Inc, and Robert J. Jones are suing the Defendant, Aetna, on FIVE counts “(1) Publication of an Injurious Falsehood, (2) Tortious interference with a Prospective Business Advantage, (3) Negligent interference with a Prospective Business Advantage, (4) Interference with contract or prospective Contractual Relation, (5) Federal and State RICO (18USCA 1961 et seq. and C.R.S. 18-17-104).”
In that suit Aetna is accused of conspiring with “quackbusters,” failed MD Stephen Barrett, Robert S. Baratz, the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF), etc., to damage Cavitat.
Aetna’s response to the suit is that “We don’t even know who Stephen Barrett, or Robert Baratz are…” They claim “we’ve never heard of them…”
However…
I’ve been traveling the last few weeks on business – Washington DC for the “Codex” conference, and then Denver, Colorado. While I was out of town“representatives” of Aetna Insurance were very busy in my home town. Using the guise of “personally serving me” with a subpoena, they were leaving me a clear message “We know where you live. We know where your daughter lives.” Below, You’ll find an interesting story about how Aetna, and its management, actually operate:
In my daughter’s apartment building, on Monday, April 25th, a man went door-to-door showing the photograph that Robert Baratz took of me in a Courtroom hallway in Florida in 2002. Since Aetna claims they don’t know Baratz, I wonder where Aetna got that picture? (sarcasm intended). He was asking “Is this Jennifer’s father?”
On Friday, the 29th of April, and Saturday the 30th of April, two men were pounding, not knocking, on the doors of my neighbors, again showing them Baratz’s photograph of me. While they were door pounding they had parked their vehicle in such a way as to block my neighbor’s egress. When a nineteen year old neighbor boy managed to get by their blockade, they chased him down a mountain road at high speed, following right on his back bumper. Aetna’s representatives were driving a one-ton truck.
Fortunately a few miles down the road sat a California Highway Patrol, and the young man pulled in next to the Highway Patrol Officer. When questioned, the two Aetna representatives claimed they were private investigators trying to serve a subpoena on “Tim Bolen.” They claimed they thought that this nineteen year old blonde haired youth was “Tim Bolen.” The so-called “investigators” were not apprehended as the Officer had not personally observed the life threatening activity.
My neighbors kept me informed, by telephone, as two days of aggressive door-pounding, and other harassing activity, continued in my neighborhood. Of course I called the police. The two Aetna representatives were photographing through my windows.
When my neighbors gathered in front of one of their houses for a meeting to decide what to do about this activity, Aetna’s representatives once again blocked the road with their massive vehicle, making it clear that no one could leave.
I arrived home that night eager to meet these two scumbags, personally. They weren’t anywhere around when I got here.
The next morning, however, there they were (get ready to laugh) hiding behind the bushes up the hill. Gone, I guess, was the door-pounding bravado. Right after I called the police, my neighbor drove his vehicle around the neighborhood and found four more people standing-by around the bend. Six people to serve a subpoena?
I waited about seven-eighths of the time it usually takes for the Sheriff to show up, stepped outside, and in a clear voice invited the two bush-hiders to “come down here.” I believe I used the word “sissies” appropriately. Then I stepped back into the house. They fell for my trick, and the truck driving thug did exactly what I wanted him to do – he parked his truck so as to block the exit road. The other thug type parked his BMW convertible on the other side of my house – so as to have me “surrounded,” I guess.
And up drove two Sheriff’s cars… (insert laughter here).
I don’t know where the other four were that my neighbor saw, but I suspect they left immediately once law enforcement was on the scene. The “sissy brigade?”
Now, I suppose it might, under normal circumstances, sound practical to serve a subpoena “personally” but Aetna’s subpoena ruse was so transparent it was scary. Aetna wants to depose me about the Cavitat case, and had already served me once, and because of scheduling problems the deposition was postponed. I had already sent a memorandum to the attorneys, including Aetna’s counsel, asking for tentative dates for the new deposition.
After all, I’m not exactly reticent to say what I think about Aetna’s activities, now am I?
Did I need to be “personally served” by six thugs? Ah, no. First of all, I have an address on file. They could have used that. Aetna has it, and used it on the first subpoena. So they knew where to serve me. So, the questions arise – “Why were they in my daughter’s apartment building, going door-to-door showing my picture? Why were they following the neighbor boy? Why were they door-pounding? Why were they hiding in the bushes?
So what was that all about, readers? Is Aetna threatening my daughter’s life and safety? Are they threatening mine? Is this my last newsletter?
Stay tuned…
Tim Bolen – Consumer Advocate