ABPN? Also sued.

Hot on the heels of last week’s anti-ABR lawsuit (which itself followed the ABIM lawsuit), two psychiatrists have submitted a very similar class action suit against the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (hat tip Dr. Wes). And by “very similar” I mean it’s mostly the same lawyers, it’s filed in the same Northern District of Illinois, and it really is very similar.

But the financials in question are even more eye-catching:

Between 2004 and 2017, after the advent of ABPN MOC, ABPN’s “Program service revenue” account exceeded its “Program service expenses” account by a yearly average of $8,777,319, as reported in its Forms 990 for those years. During that same period of time, ABPN’s “Net assets or fund balances” account skyrocketed 730%, from $16,508,407 to $120,727,606. In other words, at year-end 2017, as ABPN MOC revenue continued to grow, ABPN net assets (assets less liabilities) more than septupled, which included, according to its 2017 Form 990, almost $102 million in cash, savings, and securities.

$102 million. What could they possibly need a war chest of that size for? Fighting lawsuits, one presumes.

And then:

[Executive compensation includes] overly generous compensation paid to current ABPN President and CEO, Dr. Faulkner, who was hired by ABPN in 2006 as Executive Vice President, its most senior staff position. In 2007, he was paid total compensation of $500,726 as Executive Vice President. Dr. Faulkner became ABPN President and CEO in 2009. In 2017, the last year for which data could be located, his total compensation as President and CEO was $2,872,861, including a bonus of $1,884,920. Thus, as ABPN MOC revenue continued to grow, Dr. Faulkner’s total compensation almost sextupled.

No words.