Former Patient Files Class-Action Lawsuit Against Senator Marshall

A former patient of Senator Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, on Thursday filed a class-action lawsuit against him and his former medical practice, contending that he charged illegally high interest rates in pursuing patients over outstanding bills.

Mr. Marshall, who had a 25-year career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills, The New York Times found in an investigation last month. In at least 81 of those cases, patients were arrested after missing court dates.

Mr. Marshall, a first-term senator, is facing an unexpectedly tight race to keep his seat, with recent polls showing him neck-and-neck with his Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton, in a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1932.

The lawsuit, filed in Kansas state court, focuses on the 18 percent interest rate that Mr. Marshall and the medical practice he co-owned, Heartland OBGYN, often charged patients.

It argues that the high rate was “egregious conduct” that may have violated Kansas law.

Kansas typically limits the interest rate that doctors and any other businesses can pursue in court to 15 percent. There are, however, some exceptions that allow them to pursue more if they had a pre-existing contract spelling out a higher rate.

A Marshall spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the litigation.

Steven Johnson, a lawyer who filed Mr. Marshall’s debt cases, previously told The Times that the 18 percent interest rate was set by the doctor’s office.