Officials estimate up to 3,000 claims over Courtney's diluted

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Court officials estimate there will be up to 3,000 restitution claims from victims and their families in the Robert R. Courtney drug dilution case.

"In the last week, we've gotten several hundred a day as the deadline got closer," said Paige Wymore-Wynn, chief deputy clerk. "We're still getting quite a few."

The deadline for having claims postmarked was Tuesday. The victims, who must have received specific cancer drugs, stand to share equally in $11 million in compensation from assets seized from the former Kansas City pharmacist.

Courtney pleaded guilty last year to diluting chemotherapy drugs in what has been called the worst drug-dilution scheme in modern U.S. history. More than 4,000 patients may have been affected.

He is serving 30 years in prison but is appealing that sentence.

Court officials estimated that victims may not receive restitution until the fall.

In February, U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith approved the claim process, opting for a solution that would bring swift results.

The information from claimants will be entered into a special database that will be double-checked for accuracy and cross-referenced with doctors' patient lists.

Once the list is complete, it will be forwarded to the judge for consideration. Victims are to receive equal shares of the restitution funds. That amount is to be determined by the judge after an accurate number of victims has been determined.