Patients v Warren Hospital
Tentative Settlement Announced in 10 Year Old Class Action
A tentative settlement was announced in a ten year old class-action lawsuit against a former Warren hospital. The suit was filed in 1995 by two former patients on behalf of 12,000 past hospital patients. The lawsuit claims medical records containing diagnoses of alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness and sexually transmitted diseases were turned over to a local law firm that wanted to help pay the hospital bills through federal Supplemental Security Income benefits.
A judgment entry from Judge Thomas Patrick Curran said plaintiffs, who sued over a breach of patient confidentiality, will be informed in the meantime to consider the latest offer from representatives of the former Warren General Hospital. Judge Curran scheduled a fairness hearing for December 16, 2005 to sort out the extent of damage against 501 plaintiffs.
One of the former hospital clients found that her records had been given to a Youngstown television station by a lawfirm secretary, which also was named defendants in the suit and settled in the case in December 2003. At the time, the 501 plaintiffs each received between $400 and $800 in damages from the total $130,000 paid out by the law firm or its insurance carrier.
The latest settlement, in which damages have not been announced, is between the same plaintiffs and Warren General Hospital Association, a nonprofit holding company.
