Patients v Ontario Hospital
Patients File Lawsuit Against Ontario Hospital
Ontario hospital sued for $50 million over C. difficile outbreak.
A $50 million class-action lawsuit has been launched against a Toronto-area hospital where 177 patients contracted the potentially deadly bacteria C. difficile during an outbreak last year.
The lawsuit, filed with the Ontario Superior Court, alleges that the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington, Ont., was not properly cleaned or maintained during the outbreak which occurred between May 2006 and December 2007. The suit also claims hospital staff did not adequately inform patients about the bacteria.
C. difficile or Clostridium difficile, is a bacterium that can cause infections leading to diarrhea, fever, nausea and in the most serious cases, intestinal conditions such as colitis or even death.
Ninety-one people died at the hospital during the eight-month period but it's not clear how many of those cases were directly linked to the bacteria outbreak.
The lawsuit needs court certification before it can move forward. None of the allegations has been proven in court.
The plaintiffs in the case are being represented by Hamilton-based law firm Stanley M. Tick & Associates, and Windsor-based law firm Sutts Strosberg LLP. For more information, please visit www.smtick.com, or call 905-523-6464.
