“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin issued a statement about the insurance fraud charges against her husband on Tuesday, arguing that the company that filed the lawsuit was known for making frivolous claims.
Hostin issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly and said that the company, American Transit Insurance Co., a New York-based auto insurance provider that insures Uber, Lyft and taxi companies in the state, filed the lawsuit “to avoid paying the claims medical and surgical insurance for those who are in pain.”
He added: “This company has a history of filing unreasonable claims, has been investigated by New York State and has been sued by Uber Technologies.”
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Emmanuel “Manny” Hostin and his practice, Hostin Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, were named among more than 180 defendants in a federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York on 17 December.
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Dr. Emmanuel “Manny” Hostin and Sunny Hostin attend the 2024 Bezos Courage and Civility Awards on March 14, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for the Bezos Courage and Civility Awards)
“The View” co-host also said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly, that American Transit is on the verge of bankruptcy.
Emmanuel Hostin is specifically accused of accepting fines by “operating and making fraudulent payments” to American Transit, according to the lawsuit.
It cites at least two of Hostin's patients who were he was said to have been cured in January 2023 after being involved in “minor” skirmishes that caused only minor damage. Although they suffered “numerous minor injuries,” both underwent arthroscopic surgery, the lawsuit said.
Sunny Hostin's statement added that the company “used my celebrity status to launch a vile media campaign against my husband.”
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Sunny Hostin and husband Emmanuel Hostin are seen in 2022 attending the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Opening Night Gala in New York City. (He Dipasupil/Getty)
“We have put American Transit on notice and will file a five million dollar lawsuit for their defamation claims, an amount that may increase as the reputational damage that American Transit willfully caused is difficult to explain. at this time,” Hostin's statement continued, demanding that American Airlines “drop these false allegations, pay my husband what he owes and publicly apologize.”
The situation was discussed privately on “The View,” sources told Fox News Digital. Hostin has not responded to the lawsuit on air.
“It's been discussed internally,” one source said of the situation at the ABC talk show, adding, “But no one knows exactly what to do with it.”
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The lawsuit filed under RICO is a scheme that legal experts told Fox News Digital is designed to have a morally chilling effect. It's also one that risks ensnaring defendants like Hostin in years of arduous court cases — and as a result they could wind up with huge payouts.
Fox News' Breanne Deppisch, Joseph Wulfsohn, David Rutz and Brian Flood contributed to this report.