Richard Scrushy says in press release that he has no ties to Alabama inmate's million-dollar account, and he has heard from disgruntled Encompass shareholder

Richard Scrushy (center)

 

Former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy says accusations last week that he controls a million-dollar account for an Alabama inmate are false and amount to an attack on his family by attorneys from Bradley Arant, the law firm representing the company Scrushy founded (now known as Encompass Health). Bradley Arant is leading collection efforts related to a $2.78-billion judgment against Scrushy. The former CEO said he has heard from a disgruntled Encompass Health shareholder who is concerned about the millions of dollars in shareholder assets that have been spent on Bradley Arant's largely fruitless collection attempts.

In a press release issued yesterday, Scrushy stated:

On May 22, 2023, Bradley Arant, Encompass Health attorneys, filed a TRO motion (temporary restraining order), asking Judge England to allow certain discovery of a bank account belonging to Eddie Briskett, an Alabama inmate who they claimed to have a financial tie to Richard Scrushy. They made a claim that Mr. Scrushy was a signature on Mr. Briskett’s account at JP Morgan Chase. They also made the claim that Mr. Scrushy was receiving funds from that account to the tune of several million dollars. Judge England held a hearing on May 23, 2023, where he asked Mr. Scrushy about his knowledge and involvement with Mr. Briskett. Mr. Scrushy told Judge England to put him under oath and swear him in if needed. Mr. Scrushy told the court he has never been on any account of Eddie Briskett and is not a signature on the account and that he has never received a single penny from inmate Eddie Briskett.

Mr. Scrushy told the judge to allow the plaintiff attorneys at Bradley Arant to have full discovery of Mr. Briskett’s account and they would see that Mr. Scrushy was never on the account as a signature and that Mr. Scrushy has never written a check on Mr. Briskett’s account and that Mr. Scrushy has never received a penny from Mr. Briskett. They will also find, as well as everyone else, that this was false information put out by the Encompass Health attorneys at the law firm Bradley Arant and it was simply another attack on Mr. Scrushy and his family.

Mr. Scrushy said, “ I have never been a signature on any account associated with Eddie Briskett and I have never received any money from Eddie Briskett” Scrushy also stated “ this is nothing more than a continuation of the overbilling machine at the Bradley law firm; these attorneys continue to make up opportunities to bill their client, Encompass Health.

Scrushy said: “ This is another boondoggle allowing the Bradley attorneys to bill large fees, and the leadership at Encompass is either being hoodwinked by this law firm or they are simply incompetent, allowing millions in billings without a return, and this is uncommon for a public company to allow this kind of waste of shareholder assets.”

Scrushy also stated: “ I have received calls from a disgruntled shareholder of Encompass, complaining about the millions and millions of wasted shareholder assets being paid to the Bradley law firm over the past 10-plus years, with no return.”

Scrushy further stated “ we were informed by a knowledgeable source that to date the Bradley attorneys have billed Encompass Health more than $110,000,000 filing, useless and wasted make-up legal work that has not given Encompass Health a nickel in return and never will because there is no there there.”

Mr. Scrushy stated that as a minister he has been involved in prison ministry for many years and he met Eddie Briskett in his work with prison inmates, and that Eddie Briskett is a good Godly man with a family who has turned his life around and one day hopes to return to the free world and be a productive citizen, a father to his children and a husband to his wife.