Munir Uwaydah was an orthopedic surgeon well known as a treating physician in California workers’ compensation cases. He had been charged as the ringleader in one of California’s biggest health fraud schemes allegedly perpetrated by his company Frontline Medical Associates, which included unnecessary operations by an untrained assistant that scarred patients forever, according to indictments unsealed in Los Angeles County years ago. A total of 102 people testified during two separate Grand Jury proceedings.
A new civil appellate case involving Frontline (as a plaintiff) decided in May 2025 depicts Uwaydah’s absence from the United States as beginning in 2010, allegedly to evade criminal investigations, with subsequent indictments in 2015 and 2019 solidifying his fugitive status in the civil case defendants’ view. Frontline’s conflicting representations – ranging from Uwaydah choosing not to return, to being under a strict travel ban, to potential extradition for perjury in the civil case – were deemed misleading by the court, contributing to the pattern of misconduct that led to the case’s dismissal by the trial court.
This new case, Frontline Medical Associates v. Bird, Marella, Boxer, etc. (CA2/1, B336038) a May 2025 unpublished appellate case involves Frontline Medical Associates, Inc. appealing a trial court’s decision to grant terminating sanctions, resulting in the dismissal of their case against the law firm of Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks, Lincenberg & Rhow, P.C., and Benjamin Gluck (collectively, Bird Marella). The dismissal was based on the trial court’s finding of Frontline’s pervasive misconduct during litigation of this case.
Frontline filed this lawsuit in July 2019, with an amended complaint in December 2021, alleging that Bird Marella, their former legal counsel, committed professional misconduct. Specifically, Frontline claimed that Bird Marella made misrepresentations to induce Frontline to pay $2,250,000 for legal services to represent Paul Turley, who operated Frontline before September 2015. Additionally, Frontline alleged that Bird Marella, which had also represented Frontline and Uwaydah, failed to adequately advise Frontline about potential conflicts of interest arising from their simultaneous representation of Turley. The complaint included causes of action for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud by intentional misrepresentation, fraud by fiduciary, conversion, common counts, and declaratory relief, seeking to address the alleged financial and ethical misconduct by Bird Marella.
Paul Turley was a chiropractor and a key figure associated with Frontline Medical Associates. His involvement with Frontline and its owner, Munir Uwaydah, placed him at the center of significant legal and criminal proceedings related to an alleged massive insurance fraud scheme that allegedly generated $150 million in fraudulent workers’ compensation claims. In September 2015, Turley was arrested as part of a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s investigation.
Over 18 months following the 2015 indictments, a judge dismissed most of the 132 counts in the initial indictments due to insufficient evidence, particularly the aggravated mayhem charges, which carried potential life sentences. In March 2017, at the prosecutors’ request, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy dismissed the pending charges against 13 defendants, including Turley, except for two fugitives. Prosecutors immediately refiled new charges in three separate criminal complaints, listing 194 counts, including aggravated mayhem, money laundering, insurance fraud, and unlawful patient referrals.
Benjamin Gluck, Turley’s attorney, criticized the refiling as an attempt to restart the case after prosecutorial missteps, stating, “They want to basically say, ‘We don’t like the way this game is going so we’re turning the board over.’”
In December 2018, Paul Turley pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, insurance fraud, unlawful referrals, and mayhem. As part of his plea, he confirmed in a factual statement that Frontline paid “cappers” to recruit injured workers to maximize billing, regardless of patient needs, and that services like prescriptions and surgeries were prioritized for profitability.
Returning to the civil case appeal decided this month, Uwaydah’s role was pivotal in the Frontline case against Bird Marella due to his historical control over Frontline and his status as a key witness. The defendants alleged that Frontline was essentially a “fake company” operated by Uwaydah, who had fled to Lebanon in 2010 amid criminal investigations for healthcare fraud.
Frontline claimed Uwaydah transferred his ownership interest in Frontline to Medconsult, S.A.L., a Lebanese company, in early 2022 to satisfy a debt, though this was contested as a misrepresentation. Uwaydah’s inability or unwillingness to travel to Los Angeles for trial or deposition, coupled with contradictory statements about his travel restrictions, was a significant issue. The court ordered a bench trial to determine if Uwaydah was Frontline’s alter ego, and his status as a fugitive and the ownership transfer claims were central to the defendants’ arguments for dismissal.
The trial court ultimately dismissed Frontline’s case with prejudice on October 27, 2023, granting Bird Marella’s third motion for terminating sanctions due to Frontline’s deliberate, egregious misconduct that rendered a fair trial impossible. The court cited both its inherent authority and statutory authority under Code of Civil Procedure section 2023.030 for the dismissal.
The specific conduct included misrepresentations about attorney Browne’s conflict of Interest. Frontline’s attorney, David Browne, declared on May 4, 2023, that he had to withdraw due to an unwaivable conflict of interest stemming from a contempt proceeding related to his representation of Medconsult, S.A.L., the purported owner of Frontline. On June 13, 2023, he reiterated this conflict was mandatory and unwaivable. However, evidence showed Browne continued to act as Frontline’s counsel, preparing key witnesses Paul Turley and Amber Woodley for depositions and trial in July 2023.
The court found Browne’s claims about the conflict’s severity were exaggerated to delay proceedings, constituting a fraud on the court. The court dismissed Frontline’s expert testimony defending Browne’s actions as unpersuasive, noting Browne’s post-withdrawal work contradicted his stated ethical concerns.
The court additionally found that Frontline repeatedly failed to comply with discovery obligations and court orders over several years. Itfailed to timely respond to multiple sets of interrogatories and requests for production of documents served between March 2021 and August 2022. Despite court orders to provide code-compliant responses, Frontline missed deadlines, ignored meet-and-confer efforts, and provided incomplete or evasive responses. The court imposed monetary sanctions ($3,000 and $7,500) for these failures, but Frontline’s noncompliance persisted.
Frontline obstructed depositions of its Person Most Qualified (PMQ) and other witnesses. Frontline failed to appear for PMQ depositions noticed for March and September 2022. When it produced David Livingston as PMQ in November 2022, he was unprepared, answering “I don’t know” over 500 times. A subsequent PMQ, Amber Woodley, arrived late and left early, limiting testimony. The court found these actions willful and noncompliant with court orders.
Depositions of Janek Hunt and Adib Kassir were disrupted by late arrivals, excessive breaks, refusals to answer, and early terminations. Frontline failed to produce Ali Mohsen and Mazen Helou for depositions despite court orders, further evidencing noncompliance.
The court rejected Frontline’s excuses (e.g., documents seized in raids, witnesses overseas) as insufficient, finding a “pattern of willful noncompliance” that violated numerous court orders.
Frontline initially represented that Uwaydah was its primary principal (until December 8, 2022). After the court ordered an alter ego trial, Frontline claimed in January 2023 that Uwaydah had transferred his ownership to Medconsult in early 2022 to satisfy a debt. Contradictory evidence, including a January 11, 2022 contract showing Medconsult paid $1 million for Frontline (despite its assets being worth millions and Medconsult already holding a 2005 security interest), and the lack of documentation for a $10 million arbitration award, led the court to find these representations “highly misleading, if not wholly false.” The court concluded Frontline misrepresented ownership to manipulate the use of Uwaydah’s testimony.
Frontline provided conflicting statements about Uwaydah’s ability to travel to Los Angeles. Initially, it claimed Uwaydah chose not to return due to criminal charges (July 2022), with Browne guaranteeing in January 2023 that Uwaydah could travel if he agreed to extradition. Later, Frontline asserted Uwaydah was under a travel ban in Lebanon, unable to leave legally. A Lebanese decree and Uwaydah’s extradition waiver suggesting Frontline misrepresented his status to avoid in-person testimony while seeking to use his deposition, potentially evading perjury accountability.
The court found that Frontline’s cumulative misconduct – misrepresentations, discovery abuses, and disregard for court orders – demonstrated a “mockery of the judicial process.” Previous monetary and evidentiary sanctions had failed to deter Frontline’s behavior, and the court concluded that lesser sanctions would not ensure future compliance. The pervasive, deliberate, and egregious nature of the misconduct, which prejudiced the defendants and undermined trial fairness, justified terminating sanctions.
The appellate court affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of the case, finding substantial evidence supported the trial court’s findings and no abuse of discretion in the dismissal.