DOVER, Del. (AP) - A Delaware judge has rejected an appeal from a former doctor whose medical license was permanently revoked after he prescribed opioids to a patient in exchange for sex.
The judge ruled Friday that the state’s decision to revoke the license of Nihar B. Gala last year was free of legal error and supported by substantial evidence. The judge likewise affirmed the state’ decision to revoke Gala’s controlled substances registration.
Authorities said Gala repeatedly prescribed powerful painkillers to a female patient suffering from opioid addiction in late 2016 without proper documentation and with no legitimate medical purpose.
Officials said Gala provided the woman with several types of prescription drugs in exchange for sex, including a threesome at his home with a female prostitute. He later allegedly threatened the woman and her family members after officials began an investigation.
Gala worked at “Got-A-Doc” walk-in medical centers in Millsboro and Camden until at least January 2017. He later operated a pain management and addiction treatment center called Alpha Care Medical in Millsboro.
Gala claimed that he was the target of a conspiracy involving a competing physician, and that state officials violated his due process rights in revoking his license.
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