Nurse Fatally Stabbed; Doctor Sues Mayo; Maya Kowalski's Criminal Complaint

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

by Kristina Fiore, Director of Enterprise & Investigative Reporting, �鶹��ý November 16, 2023

Legal Break over a blindfolded Lady Justice statue holding scales.

A patient was charged in the at a state psychiatric hospital in Hawaii. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

Michael Joyner, MD, for allegedly trying to stifle his public criticism of the federal COVID response over concerns it would lose government funding. Joyner's lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing feud that started when Mayo suspended him without pay for a week, reportedly over his public comments. (StarTribune)

Maya Kowalski, the teen who won a $261 million verdict against Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, alleging she was sexually abused during her time at the hospital. (Herald-Tribune)

Columbia University to victims of ob/gyn Robert Hadden, MD, and announced a "multipronged" response that includes a $100 million settlement fund. Hadden was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison. (New York Times)

Pennsylvania doctor Eric Thomas Cochran, DO, who was accused of sexually assaulting a female patient during an office visit, is . (LehighValleyLive.com)

A Georgia county asked a federal appeals court to that it discriminated against a sheriff's deputy by not paying for her gender-affirming surgery. Lawyers for Sgt. Anna Lange argued that the U.S. Supreme Court has "made it clear" that denying coverage of the procedure is discriminatory and illegal. (AP)

More women over Texas's abortion law, bringing the total number to 20. (NPR)

UCLA Health , the maker of Barbie, for allegedly not following through with a pledge to donate $49 million. According to the lawsuit, the company last made a payment of $1 million in 2018. (Los Angeles Times)

A that UnitedHealth Group used an AI algorithm that systematically denied older patients' claims for extended care, including stays at nursing facilities. (Reuters)

A network of skilled nursing facilities in California agreed to pay $45.6 million to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors in exchange for patient referrals, .

A group of health systems is from reinstating a registration policy for offsite clinics of 340B-eligible hospitals they say will cost billions. (Becker's Hospital Review)

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.