A former Battle Creek doctor has agreed to pay more than $700,000 to resolve a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleging that he violated the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

Shekhar Thakur previously owned and practiced at Parkside Medical in Battle Creek.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office sued Thakur July 9, 2024, for allegedly regularly prescribing opioids and other controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice.

The lawsuit alleged, “many patients sought out Thakur to feed their addictions to opioids or benzodiazepines. Some of Thakur’s patients shared their drugs with others or sold them on the street.”

Thakur agreed to pay the $705,075 settlement in exchange for t

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