Suburban doctor claims ruined reputation due to Indiana doctor with same name

A suburban Illinois doctor says his reputation was ruined because another doctor with the same name pleaded guilty to charges after prosecutors say he over-prescribed pain pills.

They are doctors and share the same name, but that is about all Dr. Jay Joshi has in common with an Indiana doctor who faces possible prison time for federal drug charges. To regain his reputation, The Illinois Dr. Joshi has filed a lawsuit against the Indiana doctor.

Dr. Jay Joshi is a double board certified anesthesiologist who has gained a reputation as a nationally-known pain specialist. He is from the northwest suburbs, unlike an Indiana man also named Dr. Jay Joshi. The Illinois doctor says his reputation and revenue have plummeted because of the Indiana man.

"Once I found out there was someone else with my name who was "practicing" pain management and was arrested for doing very wrong things, it was devastating," said Dr. Jay Joshi with National Pain Centers.

Jay Joshi of Northwest Indiana pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance for dolling out opioid prescriptions. The Illinois Joshi, says people were quick to confuse him with the Indiana Joshi.

"We have seen referrals from other physicians drop off to the point where they are almost non-existent, we've seen new patient phone calls where we get a certain number drop precipitously after the story broke," said Dr. Joshi.

Dr. Joshi says he has also received threats by phone, text and email.

"It's been a nightmare, it's affected me personally, it's affected me financially, socially, it's affected my health," he said.

To make himself whole again, Dr. Joshi is suing Dr. Joshi. Referring to himself in the complaint as "the real Dr. Joshi" and the Indiana doctor as "the Imitator Dr. Joshi," the Illinois doctor accuses the Indiana doctor of unfair competition and deceptive trade practices. Dr. Joshi says even before the Indiana doctor's arrest, he used the Illinois doctor's reputation and good name to build his own practice.

"He's known who I am for years and we have absolute evidence that he has tried to leverage that in his favor," he said.

Calling it a case of mistaken or stolen identity, the lawsuit says Indiana Dr. Jay Joshi tried to advertise himself as a pain doctor. But, he was a family practice doctor who is younger and much shorter than the Illinois Dr. Joshi. The Indiana doctor is set to be sentenced in November.