Among the many Mark Twain quotes that I enjoy, this one stands out the most: “It’s easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have been fooled.” It’s what comes to mind when people bring up the Joshi v. Joshi case.
It still baffles me how convincing the whole thing looks. Here we have another physician, whose name is actually Jaydeep Joshi, appearing on what seems to be legitimate news outlets claiming that I was imitating him. Some links even have news anchors commenting on my physical appearance as though delineating our physical differences would help assuage any pending confusion.
These links are often what appears on top of internet searches when you search my name. Try it. See what comes up. You’ll see more about this Joshi v. Joshi case than anything mentioning the DEA.
None of it’s true. Frivolous doesn’t even begin to describe the lawsuit. Extortion would be a more apt description. To see what I mean, just look at the timeline of events.
On March 6th, 2018, just over a month after I was indicted, I heard from representatives of Edelman, a global communication firm. They sent an email requesting a meeting with me, or at least I thought it was with me. The email included staffers from Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi’s office, something I thought was odd, but somehow I justified it positively. I had donated to Representative Krishnamoorthi’s campaign and had met him at donor events in the past. So I assumed the Congressman was trying to help me in a time of need.
I assumed incorrectly. Ironically, staffers from Representative Krishnamoorthi’s office confused me with Jaydeep Joshi, and reached out to me by mistake. A meeting was set up and then quickly cancelled once staffers had realized they had confused me with Jaydeep. Through that email exchange, I learned that the Congressman was actively soliciting public relations firms for Jaydeep Joshi. One firm was Edelman and the other was Alan P. Solow, founder of Grover Strategies LLC.
I heard nothing from Representative Krishnamoorthi or any public relations firm after that email exchange. I put it in the back of my mind and focused on more pressing issues related to my indictment.
A month later I would hear from Jaydeep himself. On April 6th, 2018, he texted and asked me to call him. I didn’t. There were many people reaching out in the aftermath of my indictment. My attorney advised not to respond to any of them, so I didn’t – not to him, or to the many others who reached out. I didn’t connect the email exchange from a month prior with this latest text message. I had no way of knowing they might be related somehow, or portend some future legal action. My mind was too consumed to give it further consideration.
Flash forward a few months. Once my attorney convinced my family that the DEAs misconduct wouldn’t affect the legal proceedings, I had no choice but to sign a plea agreement. My attorney promised me that by signing this plea agreement, I would return to practice in a few months and not serve any prison time. His words were misleading.
The first thing to happen just days after my plea was getting slapped with a lawsuit. On August 8th, 2018 Jaydeep Joshi sued me claiming that I was impersonating him. The timing was impeccable and likely planned well in advance. The email and text would suggest as much.
But the logic of the lawsuit never made sense. If I were imitating him, then shouldn’t he also get indicted? Why would he want to get involved in a DEA case? Weren’t there easier ways to get the word out that we’re two different people? Then again, there’s nothing really logical about the opioid crisis.
After the lawsuit came the familiar barrage of misinformation. One after another, news outlets reported false claims about how I was imitating Jaydeep. They described him as a world famous physician and reduced me to nothing but an imposter. It was an all too familiar wave of misinformation, just like what the federal prosecutors inflicted months earlier after my indictment.
The liars may be different, but the lies felt the same.
Even the case itself proceeded similarly. Under the veneer of propaganda, was nothing more than delay after delay, court motion after motion, all to postpone any fact finding and to allow for more time for the lies to settle in. It even survived an initial motion to dismiss. I still don’t understand what the judge was thinking. Apparently, the absence of factual basis wasn’t enough for her.
The matter was finally resolved only after I returned from prison. Freshly released, looking to move on with my life, I kept finding myself embroiled in nonsensical negotiations. Jaydeep and his lawyers kept insisting on financial remuneration. They wanted something, anything to justify the lawsuit. I kept refusing. I knew from my experience with the DEA what happens when you capitulate to the pressure.
Eventually, the amount requested was lowered. They started at $1.5 million. It kept lowering until it reached zero. Knowing I wasn’t caving to his demands, Jaydeep finally agreed to terms of no payment and of no finding of fault. At last the case was dismissed. But the website links remained. This, more than anything else, was the outcome he sought after. For him, it was a victory. He got the publicity he wanted.
It’s hard to believe a physician would so callously attack another through such a lawsuit and public relations campaign. But then again, it’s why Mark Twain’s quotation resonates to this day. It’s easy to fool people. It’s hard to convince people they’ve been fooled.
Terrible lessons