MedPartners Fires Friendly Hills Executives

MedPartners/Mullikin Inc., a Long Beach-based health-care company, said it fired two top executives of its Friendly Hills medical group--including the group’s chairman, Dr. Albert E. Barnett--and filed a lawsuit accusing them of breach of contract and business fraud. The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, names as defendants Barnett, a prominent Orange County physician and founder of the Friendly Hills group; Gloria Mayer, a group vice president; and Dr. Thomas Mayer, a director as well as a consultant to the company. Friendly Hills is a large health-care company that manages 45 medical clinics, a hospital in La Habra and doctors offices throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Friendly Hills was one of the first medical groups in Southern California to focus on treating HMO patients. Friendly Hills became part of MedPartners when the company merged with Caremark International earlier this year. Barnett, Gloria Mayer and Thomas Mayer could not be reached for comment.