Las Vegas doctors in legal fight over pregnancy clinic

Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001 | 11:19 a.m.

Two Las Vegas doctors are fighting each other over their soured partnership in a perinatal clinic and a healthcare equipment leasing company.

Drs. Brian Iriye and Joseph Adashek -- co-owners of the clinic Iriye & Adashek Chartered (doing business as Las Vegas Perinatal Associates) and Health Care Equipment Leasing Inc. -- are suing each other in Clark County District Court.

The clinic, 400 Shadow Lane, provides medical care and services for high-risk pregnancy women, while Health Care buys medical equipment and leases it to the clinic.

Iriye, in court papers, accused Adashek of placing the business at risk of being sued because of his alleged mismanagement and alleged substance abuse.

Iriye said his lawsuit was prompted by threats from several doctors that they would not send patients to the clinic if Adashek returns to the practice.

Iriye, who accused Adashek of having an addiction to narcotics, said Adashek had passed out or fallen asleep while performing surgery on a patient and had allegedly asked the clinic's billing department to write off several patients' bills when they complained.

Adashek was also accused of performing operations on patients to gain access to narcotics and needles to administer the drugs to himself, allegedly made inappropriate sexual comments to employees and gave pay raises to several employees without notifying Iriye.

The suit said Adashek also exposed the practice to possible litigation when he accused nurses -- who found out about his drug usage and who reported it to nearby Valley Hospital -- of having a vendetta against him and ostracized these nurses.

Adashek was also accused of placing the clinic at risk of future claims of harassment and unjust treatment when he allegedly performed an abortion on an office worker against the clinic's policy.

The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses medical doctors, said there haven't been any formal complaints filed or disciplinary action taken against Adashek.

Adashek challenged the accusations in his own suit against Iriye.

Adashek, who said he gave Iriye on Aug. 21, 2000, a proxy to vote his shares of the clinic because he was going to an out-of-state treatment center for about three months, accused Iriye of illegally using the proxy to fire him from the practice and transfer the clinic's assets to form a new entity called Iriye & Associates.

Adashek, who said he was denied access to the clinic, corporate records and his personal items including diplomas and a medical license when he returned to Nevada on Nov. 17, said Iriye offered to pay him $328,420 for his interests in the two businesses if he agreed to sign an agreement that would bar him from practicing perinatology within a 10-mile radius of the clinic.

But Adashek said he refused to sign the agreement because he felt the compensation wasn't adequate and that the non-compete agreement was "unduly burdensome."