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Respiratory Therapist Charged With Murder; Clinic Implanted Embryo With Cancer Gene?

— A weekly roundup of healthcare's encounters with the courts

MedpageToday
Legal Break over a blindfolded Lady Justice statue holding scales.

Former respiratory therapist Jennifer Anne Hall, who is suspected of being involved in the deaths of nine patients, was formally in the 2002 death of 37-year-old David Wesley Harper. (People)

Tennessee nurse Bobbie Gail Blair, who worked at the in-house medical clinic at a Tyson Foods plant, has been charged with . (News 5 Nashville)

Doctors were pressured "" when they voiced their concerns about former nurse Lucy Letby, who is accused of killing seven babies and attempting to murder another 10 from June 2015 to June 2016 in the U.K. One doctor told jurors at the ongoing trial that was the response he received from administrators when he and his team initially raised concerns in October 2015. (The Guardian)

Parents are for allegedly accidentally transferring an embryo that had tested positive for a deadly stomach cancer gene. They allege that their child will require a major stomach removal surgery as a teenager, "due to an imminent diagnosis of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer." (KTLA5)

about how they were sexually abused by Idaho surgeon Stanley Waters, MD, who was arrested last summer and charged with misdemeanor sexual battery of several victims. Surgical technologist Emily Garringer alleged Waters touched her chest in at least two instances while working with him. Waters pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. (Idaho Capital Sun)

Hockey team doctor Zvi Levran, MD, now faces after more victims have come forward. (FOX 2 Detroit)

The family of a Pennsylvania woman who died from COVID-19 after an emergency medical technician is suing two EMTs, a fire department, an emergency services department, and a health system for financial damages due to wrongful death and gross negligence. Only 24 lawsuits alleging wrongful death or malpractice related to COVID have been filed in Pennsylvania, as lawyers are hesitant about the sweeping legal protections granted during the public health emergency. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Georgia anesthesiologist Brian Zeh, MD, for a physician assistant's allegedly negligent acts, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled. (Bloomberg Law)

Pennsylvania physician Jessie Kunkel, DO, was arrested for allegedly writing prescriptions for mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall), alprazolam (Xanax), and other drugs , and for filling and picking up prescriptions without patients knowing. (CBS Pittsburgh)

A New Jersey hospital has been hit with over a December 2022 cyberattack that affected more than 600,000 patients. CentraState Medical Center began notifying patients in early February that hackers may have stolen names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other health information. (Becker's Health IT)

Former assistant physician and Missouri state lawmaker Patricia Derges was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in federal prison, without parole, for her role in COVID-19 and stem cell treatment schemes, .

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    Kristina Fiore leads MedPage’s enterprise & investigative reporting team. She’s been a medical journalist for more than a decade and her work has been recognized by Barlett & Steele, AHCJ, SABEW, and others. Send story tips to k.fiore@medpagetoday.com.