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Patient Who Fell Off Operating Table Sues; Doc's Murder Trial; Hopkins Wants Retrial

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

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

A patient is suing Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut and two anesthesiologists after he allegedly during surgery. The patient's attorney said the fall happened after the surgeon had opened his neck for surgery and requested a slight tilt of the operating table. Reportedly, medical staff had failed to secure a safety strap. (Hartford Courant)

California physician Eric Scott Sills, MD, is on trial for the . A prosecutor told jurors that Sills strangled his wife, then staged her body to make it look like she fell down the stairs. (Orange County Register)

Virginia pediatric endocrinologist Kent Reifschneider, MD, is around a botched hair transplant procedure. The patient, who said he suffered significant and permanent scarring on his face, alleged that Reifschneider said he would participate in the procedure, but didn't. (13 News Now)

Kansas doctor Brian Aalbers, DO, was indicted for . Aalbers has been in federal custody since earlier this month on a separate charge of producing child sexual abuse images with a hidden camera. (Kansas City Star)

California doctor Khursheed Haider, MD, has also been . A search of Haider's home reportedly turned up more than 600 pictures and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. (KCRA)

Lawyers for Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital are after a jury awarded Maya Kowalski and her family $261 million in damages. Attorneys claim a juror shared information about the case with his wife, who then shared it on social media. (Tampa Bay Times)

A Mississippi woman was arrested for when she only had licensed practical nurse credentials. (WLBT3)

Arkansas doctor Brian Hyatt, MD, has been . He had previously been accused by patients of holding them against their will. (KNWA)

Pennsylvania physician Yitzchok "Barry" Kurtzer, MD, and his wife have for ordering genetic tests, according to federal prosecutors.

Another New York doctor, Payam Toobian, MD, has been found guilty in a kickback scheme where he gave gift cards and cash to two doctors in exchange for referrals, ultimately putting patients through unnecessary testing, .

A woman in Missouri has sued St. Luke's Health System and two neurologists for . (KCTV)

Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court over whether Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family's agreement to hand over ownership of the company and give $6 billion to fighting the opioid crisis in exchange for being exempt from civil lawsuits violates federal law. (AP via ABC News)

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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.