DeWine praises denial of appeal of Portsmouth doctor's license revocation

Attorney General Mike DeWine praised the Franklin County Court’s judgment this week affirming the revocation of the state medical license of James E. Lundeen Sr. on appeal.

Last December, the Ohio State Medical Board voted to permanently revoke his medical license following the recommendation of a hearing examiner who found that Lundeen was overprescribing medication to patients at his offices in Portsmouth and Plymouth.

The Attorney General's Office has been involved in the investigation and represented the Ohio State Medical Board at the license hearing and the appeal.

“Ridding the state of ‘pill mills’ and doctors who enable them is a priority for me, the governor, and law enforcement throughout Ohio,” DeWine said. “We will continue our efforts to shut down these operations.”

Investigators from the Attorney General's Office, Bureau of Workers Compensation, the State Highway Patrol, and other agencies raided Lundeen's offices in downtown Portsmouth and Plymouth in March 2011.

The State Medical Board suspended Lundeen's medical license in May 2011, based on the finding that Lundeen's continued practice presented a danger to the public. A criminal investigation of Lundeen is ongoing.

In the affirmation of the license revocation, Judge Laurel Beatty concluded that “the Board’s Order is supported by reliable, probative and substantial evidence and is in accordance with law.”