Wrongful Termination Suit Filed After Complaints About Doctor

A wrongful termination suit out of Fresno, California, has revealed alarming accusations of negligence related to open-heart surgery. The suit, which alleges retaliatory discharge, was filed by a former manager at the Community Regional Medical Center. She claims that she was wrongfully terminated, because she protested against the physician’s unsafe and unprofessional behavior.

News reports indicate that the man is accused of walking out of an open-heart surgery procedure before the patient was stable. Now, lawsuits allege that this practice was common for the man. Even more alarming is the fact that hospital officials may have known that the man was violating protocol, but no one made moves to stop him. The woman claims that she was laid off, along with a number of other staff members who had protested, because she was seen as a barrier to financial success for the facility.

The physician is also facing a civil suit from the family of one of his patients. The doctor is accused of leaving a physician assistant to close the victim’s chest in April 2012. When the man began to bleed, he suffered cardiac arrest. That man has been in a persistent vegetative state ever since the botched surgery.

The doctor in this case is known as being one of the highest-volume surgeons in the state of California. He is, in fact, in the top five physicians of his kind in the state, when total number of procedures is considered. Suspiciously, his patient death rate is also much worse than the statewide average.

No one should have to suffer the loss of their job because they report wrongdoing, especially if that questionable behavior could cost patients’ lives. Victims who have been wrongfully dismissed may benefit from the assistance of a California employment attorney. These professionals may help clients learn more about their legal rights and options for recovering lost wages and other damages

Source: The Fresno Bee, “Accusations mount against Fresno doctor accused of leaving surgery” Barbara Anderson, Mar. 01, 2014