A federal judge has dismissed all claims against UTHealth Houston President Dr. Melina Kibbe in a lawsuit tied to her former role leading the University of Virginia School of Medicine, though part of the case against her former employer will continue. Senior U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon issued the ruling on Oct. 21, clearing Kibbe and other individual defendants while allowing two retaliation claims to move forward against UVA Physicians Group.
What the Lawsuit Alleged
The case began on Oct. 3, 2025, when four current and former UVA physicians filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, according to Becker's Hospital Review. The lawsuit accused UVA leaders of pushing fraudulent billing practices meant to inflate procedure costs, retaining physicians who allegedly put patients at risk, and retaliating against doctors who objected, the outlet reported. Plaintiffs also accused UVA leaders of running a conspiracy that allegedly violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, according to the Houston Chronicle. The original complaint identified Kibbe as the former dean of the UVA School of Medicine and alleged she was employed by UVA-related entities, according to the plaintiffs' own complaint.
Moon had already pared the case back once before this month's ruling. In June 2026, the court dismissed an earlier version of the claims without prejudice and ordered the physician plaintiffs to file a second amended complaint, according to a court opinion obtained through CourtListener. That earlier round of dismissals gave the doctors a chance to refile, which they did before the case landed back in front of the judge this fall.
Judge Dismisses RICO Claims a Second Time
In the Oct. 21 ruling, Moon dismissed the civil RICO and RICO-conspiracy claims for a second time, finding that the physician plaintiffs had not alleged statutory standing to bring them, per the court opinion. The judge also dismissed the False Claims Act and Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act claims against Kibbe and other individual leaders in their personal capacities, ruling that those statutes do not permit recovery against supervisors acting individually, the same opinion states. The ruling cleared all claims against UVA and its individual defendants, including former UVA Health CEO Craig Kent, according to wtvr.com.
Two retaliation claims against UVA Physicians Group under the federal False Claims Act and the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act were allowed to continue, the station reported. The doctors now have 14 days from the ruling to file an amended complaint limited to those surviving retaliation claims, per the same report.
Kibbe and Other UVA Leaders Respond
Kibbe and Kent previously called the lawsuit's allegations baseless, according to The Cavalier Daily. Following the Oct. 21 dismissal, Kibbe and other UVA leaders said through attorneys that they were pleased by the court's decision and proud of their team's leadership at UVA, per the Houston Chronicle. Kibbe declined additional comment Monday, the Chronicle reported.
Kibbe's Path From UVA to Houston
Kibbe served as dean of the UVA School of Medicine for four years and also held the role of chief health affairs officer at UVA Health before her UTHealth Houston appointment, according to the Chronicle. She later became president of UTHealth Houston and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair in September 2025, according to her UTHealth Houston curriculum vitae, which also confirms her prior UVA titles.
During her UVA tenure, Kibbe served on a committee that interviewed and hired department chairs and took disciplinary measures as dean, per the Chronicle's reporting. That tenure grew contentious: more than 100 UVA Health doctors and staffers signed a letter of no confidence in 2024 accusing Kibbe and Kent of contributing to a negative environment at UVA Health and its medical school, according to the Houston Chronicle. UVA subsequently conducted an investigation that interviewed more than 160 physicians and medical school faculty, though the results were not publicly released, the Chronicle noted. Kent resigned as UVA Health CEO in February 2025 after the investigation's findings were presented to UVA's governing board of visitors, per the same report.
