Court Date Set on Unlicensed Mo. Med-Mal Insurer

A Cole County, MO., Circuit Court judge will hear arguments Aug. 14 on whether to issue a preliminary injunction against medical malpractice insurance sales by an unlicensed Virgin Islands-based company, Security Trust Insurance Ltd., doing business as Ameristar.

The Missouri Department of Insurance obtained a temporary restraining order against those sales, which remains in effect, but hearings on the preliminary injunction set for June 25 and July 7 had been continued.

Also named in order are American Association of Healthcare Practitioners, a group based in New Hampshire that helped market the policies, and Palladium International.

Security Trust was allegedly involved in schemes to market the insurance through local groups in St. Louis and Kansas City, placing thousands of Missouri doctors and their patients at risk.