An Augusta, Georgia, physician has sued MagMutual Insurance over claims the insurer failed to respond to a medical malpractice action, resulting in his being declared in default and forced into a settlement “so high that it implies egregious malpractice on the part” of the plaintiff, Dr. Ganesha Perera.

The complaint does not cite the amount of the settlement and Perera’s lawyer, Ichter Davis partner Cary Ichter, said it was confidential. But according to the Georgia Composite Board of Medical Examiners’ website, Perera paid $1.7 million to settle a medical malpractice case in 2019 on the date cited in the complaint.