Sources say “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin's outlook is in doubt as her husband is accused of insurance fraud and is a “huge issue” for ABC News. It's cloudy.
A source told Fox News Digital that the situation on the ABC talk show is “being discussed internally.” “But no one knows what to make of it.”
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Emanuel “Manny” Hostin and his practice, Hostin Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, were named as one of more than 180 defendants in a massive RICO lawsuit filed in New York last month.
According to daily mailIn addition to performing surgeries, Hostin and other defendants allegedly received kickbacks for fraudulently billing insurance companies and taxi companies that provided insurance to Uber and Lyft drivers. The lawsuit alleges that Hostin was given an “investment” interest in Empire State Ambulatory Surgery Center and received a “steady stream” of patients in return.
Hostin's lawyer told the Daily Mail that his client denies all the allegations, calling the suit “an all-out, sporadic and pointless lawsuit by an insurance company on the verge of bankruptcy.”
'The View' star Sunny Hostin's surgeon husband accused of insurance fraud in massive federal lawsuit
Dr. Emmanuel Hostin, husband of “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin, was charged with insurance fraud in a major federal lawsuit filed in New York last month. (Dear Dipaspil/Getty)
The former ABC official said that when a Republican does something wrong on “The View,” Hostin is always the first to jump down their throat, but “now he doesn't talk about it on the show.” he said.
“That's pretty hypocritical,” they said, noting that the controversy had become “a big event within the network.” “It's death by a thousand cuts. This is another thing that makes people untrustworthy.” [The View] And don't take them seriously. ”
Hostin, co-host of “The View” and ABC’s senior legal correspondent, often says, her background As a lawyer, I examine the major legal topics that have made headlines, particularly the series of criminal charges brought against President-elect Donald Trump. Hostin is known for making sarcastic comments about President Trump's denial of charges when discussed on the show.
“Sunny Hostin's big talk about ethics and morality and the rule of law only makes her look stupider,” said Fox News contributor Joe Concha.
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Sunny Hostin, second from the right, is one of “The View's” reliably liberal hosts. (Screenshot/ABC News)
Many media experts, including Cornell Law School professor and media commentator William A. Jacobson, believe the legal drama rocking the Hostin family will have a major impact on the hosts' positions on ABC News and The View. I don't think it will give.
“It would be a stretch to claim that everything he did or didn't do had anything to do with Hostin, much less give an opinion on 'The View,'” Jacobson told Fox News Digital. Her ability to express herself is even more so.”
Jeffrey McCall, a journalism professor at DePauw University, similarly said ABC News would “distance” itself from reporting on the lawsuit amid the always-crowded news cycle ahead of President Trump's return to the White House, citing the scandal. expected not to move the needle.
“Sunny has a certain sensationalism in that he's an outspoken personality on a fairly loud commentary show, but the interest factor is probably pretty low for most American news consumers. “I guess so,” McCall said.
ABC News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. A representative for Hostin also had no comment.
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Media experts say Dr. Emanuel Hostin's legal scandal won't affect Sunny Hostin's position at ABC News, but it could be a thorny issue for her future arrogance about morals and the law. There is a possibility that he may be put in a position. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bezos Courage and Civility Awards)
ABC, owned by Disney, is still receiving a $16 million settlement with Trump after he sued the network and “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos for defamation.
Ms. Hostin has remained quiet about her husband's legal issues since the lawsuit was filed in December, and similarly stopped commenting on her husband's work last month when discussing the health insurance industry in the aftermath of the lawsuit. There was no one there. Assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“Doctors are also suffering because of big corporations. There are doctors like my husband who want to do good,” Hostin said. told her colleague. ”[He] They operate on people without insurance, and then they have to sue their health insurance company to get paid for the work they've been training for their whole lives. ”
'The View' host Sunny Hostin's surgeon husband faces years of battle over fraud case
In addition, comments Hostin made in March 2023 about the seriousness of insurance fraud sparked discussion this week about possible indictments against former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who is in prison for tax evasion fraud.
“The prosecutor's like, 'Oh, really? Well, why don't we add another fraud charge?'” And they're talking about threatening him with insurance fraud, which would be a 20-year sentence. It could be a year, so that's a death sentence for him,” Hostin said. said at the time.
Legal experts told Fox News Digital that the $459 million lawsuit involving Dr. Hostin and his co-defendants could drag them through the courts for years.
The lawsuit was brought under the Federal Racketeers Act (RICO) in the Eastern District of New York. Legal experts say the strategy is aimed at having a chilling effect on behavior. It also risks entangling defendants like Hostin in complex court proceedings that can last years and potentially result in large payouts.
American Transit alleges that Hostin and other defendants abused New York state no-fault laws to claim “hundreds of millions” of dollars in fraudulent payments from 2009 to December 2024.
Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
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