Sunny Hostin Defends Husband Against Federal Insurance Fraud Allegations, Calls Lawsuit a ‘Disgusting Smear Campaign’
The View co-host, Sunny Hostin, is standing by her husband, Dr. Emmanuel Hostin, after he was accused of participating in federal insurance fraud.
Sunny is firing back at American Transit Insurance Company, alleging the lawsuit is part of a calculated effort to avoid financial accountability while launching a smear campaign against her family.
In an exclusive statement to Page Six on Monday, Sunny claimed, “The company has filed a frivolous lawsuit against my husband as a desperate attempt to avoid paying for medical and surgical procedures for people it insures who were in pain.”
The lawsuit, which names Dr. Hostin and 199 other doctors, accuses them of “knowingly providing fraudulent medical and other healthcare services including arthroscopic surgeries.” Sunny, who is also an attorney, says the claims have caused significant reputational harm and vows to hold the insurance company accountable.
A $5 Million Countersuit Threatened
Last week, the couple hired high-profile attorney Mark Geragos to defend Dr. Hostin. On Sunday, Geragos sent a letter to American Transit’s legal team, threatening to countersue for $5 million unless the case is withdrawn and an apology issued.
Sunny addressed the potential countersuit, stating, “The $5 million figure is an amount that is likely to increase as the reputational damage that American Transit has intentionally caused is difficult to quantify at this time.”
The ABC co-host also accused the insurance company of leveraging her celebrity status to escalate the situation. “They’ve used my platform on The View to start a disgusting media smear campaign against my husband, which included me and our children,” she said.
Sunny further alleged that American Transit’s actions are part of a broader pattern of unethical behavior.
“American Transit is harassing me and my family in a frantic attempt to not pay its bills. Our family will not be intimidated and harassed. We remain unbowed,” she declared.
Claims of Misconduct and Financial Troubles
In her statement, Sunny accused the insurer of employing “despicable tactics” such as harassing doctors and misusing legal resources. She also referenced other legal and financial troubles faced by the company, including a lawsuit filed against American Transit by Uber Technologies and an alleged prior investigation by New York State. Sunny claimed the company is “on the verge of bankruptcy.”
She ended her statement with a pointed warning: “Let me be clear, where I come from, American Transit will receive a PHD from FAFO University,” using the viral acronym for “f–k around and find out.”
American Transit Responds
In response to Sunny and Geragos’ allegations, American Transit’s attorney, William Natbony of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, issued a statement to *Page Six*.
“American Transit commenced its lawsuit as part of its statutory responsibility to fight no-fault fraud, which is rampant in New York,” Natbony said. “The allegations of the Complaint speak for themselves. With respect to any allegations by any defendant as to improper conduct by American Transit or its counsel, such assertions are emphatically denied as without basis.”
Dr. Hostin’s lawyer, Daniel Thwaites, previously called the lawsuit a “blanket, scattershot, meritless lawsuit by a near-bankrupt insurance carrier.”
While the case moves forward, Sunny and her legal team are doubling down on their fight to protect her husband’s reputation and counter the allegations they call baseless and damaging.
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