Malpractice Lawyer Indicted – Was It Extortion Or A Consulting Fee?

One of Maryland’s leading medical malpractice attorneys has been charged by federal prosecutors with attempted extortion. Allegations are that he demanded $25 million, couched as a consulting fee, in exchange for holding off on a negative media and online blitz that would allege the transplant program at the University of Maryland Medical System was riff with problems, including doctors using diseased organs in some transplants.

The indictment follows a complaint filed with the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission earlier this year by the hospital, a complaint that was bolstered by taped conversations made by hospital officials. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun following the Grievance Commission complaint, the attorney, Stephen L. Snyder, maintained that he was the victim in this matter and that the hospital had filed its complaint to silence him. Previously Snyder had said he attempted to establish the consulting arrangement with the hospital so he could help them fix their problems and “prevent any future tragedies.” Snyder is one of Maryland’s best known plaintiff attorneys, known widely for his TV ads.