Plaintiff (medical research company) sues Defendant (former patient) for Unpaid Medical Bills

A small claims court battle over unpaid medical bills has reached a conclusion with the court siding with the plaintiff. North Star Medical Research, LLC filed a complaint against Cory Kozlovich in the Berea Municipal Court on April 24, 2024, seeking to recover $1,606 in unpaid medical bills. The case was heard by Judge William A. Klatt and was journalized on December 4, 2025.

The legal dispute began when North Star Medical Research claimed that Kozlovich had an outstanding balance for services rendered between July 2018 and December 2020. According to North Star’s chief operating officer, Joanne Heil, Kozlovich was initially a patient from July 2018 to late 2019 and returned in August 2020. During his time as a patient, Kozlovich allegedly communicated frequently with office staff about billing codes used for insurance claims but ultimately left the practice without settling his bill. The complaint stated that despite diligent efforts to bill his insurance providers, an outstanding balance of $1,606 remained without interest or late fees since December 2020.

Kozlovich filed several motions during the proceedings, including requests for continuances due to illness and personal obligations. He also sought to dismiss the complaint on grounds such as lack of subject matter jurisdiction and unauthorized practice of law by North Star’s representatives. However, these motions were denied by the magistrate overseeing the case.

At the hearing held on September 4, 2024, North Star presented evidence including intake forms and billing documents showing that Kozlovich had agreed to be responsible for payment of fees not covered by insurance. Although North Star did not call any witnesses or cross-examine Kozlovich during the hearing, they argued successfully that he had failed to pay his outstanding balance.

In his appeal, Kozlovich raised seven assignments of error including abuse of discretion in denying continuance requests and failure to rule on pretrial motions. He also argued that there was fraud upon the court due to misrepresentations made by North Star’s representative regarding his military status and receipt of billing statements. However, these arguments were dismissed by Judge Klatt who affirmed the lower court’s decision.

North Star Medical Research is represented by attorney David W. Hildebrandt while Cory Kozlovich represented himself pro se throughout the proceedings. The case ID is No. 114598.