Judge In Luigi Mangione Case Could Have Conflict Of Interest
12/24/2024 11:15 AM
The judge presiding over the preliminary hearings in Luigi Mangione's case could have a conflict of interest.
Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared in the New York Supreme Court on Monday. He is facing charges of murder, including terrorism, and also facing secondary weapons charges. Mangione, who attended the University of Pennsylvania, is accused of killing Thompson, 50, outside of the New York Hilton Midtown early on December 4.
Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker is the judge in the pretrial hearings in Mangione's federal case. However, she is not expected to oversee his trial.
Still, Parker has some interesting family ties to the healthcare industry.
According to journalist Ken Klippenstein, the judge presiding over the preliminary hearings is married to a former healthcare executive. Her husband, Bret Parker, left Pfizer, where he was vice president and assistant general counsel, in 2010. The judge also reportedly holds hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock in Pfizer and other health-care and pharmaceutical companies.
From his report:
Parker's husband, Bret Parker, left Pfizer in 2010, where he served as Vice President and assistant general counsel after holding the same titles at Wyeth, a pharmaceutical manufacturer purchased by Pfizer. According to Parker's disclosures, her husband Bret still collects a pension from his time at Pfizer in the form of a Senior Executive Retirement Plan, or SERP.
Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical company by revenue ($58.5 billion in 2023), is known for manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine. The company has also had its share of controversies, including paying out hundreds of millions of dollars to settle multiple illegal marketing accusations. Pfizer spends millions on grants and research funds to universities researching everything from heart disease to emerging mRNA applications.
Judge Parker holds between $50,000 and $100,000 in Pfizer. Parker also holds scattered interests in pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare companies like Abbott Laboratories, the owner of St. Jude Medical. Abbot has drawn criticism in recent years for manufacturing tainted and toxic baby formula, fraudulently billing Medicaid for glucose monitors, and selling faulty deep brain stimulation devices.
Now, most Americans with money in the stock market probably have ties to healthcare, but this does show just how wrapped up everyone is in the healthcare industry.
Luigi Mangione Judge Married to Former Healthcare Executivehttps://t.co/Oas7SVxHQb
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) December 23, 2024
When Mangione was arrested earlier this month, a note about the healthcare industry was reportedly found.
"United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the U.S. by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart," the note said.
"It has grown and grown, but [h]as our life expectancy? No the reality is, these [indecipherable] have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it."
Mangione, who grew up in Maryland, is expected back in court in February.
