HealthSouth Civil Lawsuit Seeks $2.6B From Scrushy

JAY REEVES

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Shareholders want HealthSouth Corp.'s founder Richard Scrushy to pay $2.6 billion for his alleged role in a huge fraud that nearly ruined the rehabilitation company, attorneys told a judge Monday.

A lawsuit, filed by stockholders on behalf of the company, seeks to make Scrushy repay HealthSouth for salary, bonuses and stock deals during the years of the accounting scheme, for hundreds of personal plane flights for him and his family and breast implants for a female singer he was promoting.

Once known for his flashy style, Scrushy, who was fired, could be ordered to pay most of the cost of a long-running conspiracy uncovered in 2003, even though court documents indicate he doesn't have the money and is in prison for a federal bribery conviction. ...