Whistle-Blower Lawsuit Against Spine Surgeons Dropped

A Massachusetts federal judge dropped a whistle-blower lawsuit that alleged that some of the nation's top spine surgeons took kickbacks for promoting a Medtronic product, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune.

The lawsuit, filed by two former Medtronic employees, named 120 spine surgeons and 18 medical device distributors as defendants. The suit alleged that the defendants took a total of $8 million in consulting fees, advising "off-label" use of the Medtronic product, Infuse.

The federal judge ruled that the case did not constitute a whistle-blower suit and blocked an amended complaint by the defendant. Despite this ruling, a civil suit is still active in federal court.

Read about the dismissed Medtronic/spine surgeon lawsuit.