NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — An employee of one of the Norfolk restaurants at the center of a lawsuit is trying to figure out how he will pay a huge hospital bill.
The owner of Chow Norfolk and Tortilla West, Jonathan Boggs, faces a million-dollar lawsuit by his business partners.
Jody Ortman worked more than 10 years at Tortilla West, and then moved to Chow last July. Faced with the lawsuit, Boggs closed both restaurants last week.
Ortman came to work at Chow on January 12, but was shaking and having vision problems. He went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with a minor stroke and hypertension. His blood pressure had skyrocketed to 279/140.
Ortman underwent several tests. “Two CAT scans, two ultrasounds, an MRI, a day and a half in the ER, countless specialists, nurses and all the drugs they gave me,” he said in a Thursday interview.
When he presented his insurance card to Sentara Heart Hospital, he learned that his coverage had been discontinued December 31.
“I had no idea,” Ortman said. He says Sentara has been understanding and is willing to help him resolve the bill, but he still fears it will be in the tens of thousands of dollars. He will complete a letter of hardship to the hospital.
The mother of their child has organized a fundraiser for Ortman. He has text messages from Boggs saying he’ll try to get Ortman’s insurance coverage worked out — but Ortman is doubtful.
“The Wednesday after I got out of the hospital, the restaurants were closing. At that point I knew — why would he try to get insurance if he’s closing the businesses?”
Last week we reported that Boggs was being sued by his partners in another resturant, A.W. Shucks. They’re seeking more than a million dollars from Boggs, alleging that he embezzled money from the A.W. Shucks partnership, and used it for travel, personal items and expenses, and operation costs related to the other two restaurants.
In March, the two sides in the lawsuit are expected to find out when the matter would go to trial.
