In 2010, a Naples surgical center sued United HealthCare in West Palm Beach federal court seeking payment for allegedly unpaid facility fees.

Trouble is the surgical center never authorized the lawsuit and didn't find out about it until three years after it was filed, according to a lawsuit filed against several lawyers involved in the litigation.

At that point, the plaintiff, the Gladiolus Surgery Center, found itself facing counterclaims alleging fraudulent billing practices. United HealthCare was seeking $29 million, and Gladiolus wound up settling for $2.1 million last November.