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Verdicts and Settlements

$419 Million Recovery - Unnecessary Heart Surgeries

In December 2004, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, the country's second-largest hospital chain, agreed to pay $395 million to victims of unnecessary heart surgeries performed at Redding Medical Center. The treating cardiologists agreed to pay a total of $24 million. Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis & Larsen represented 186 plaintiffs out of the 769 patients or estates involved in the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs claimed that doctors at Redding Medical Center performed unnecessary cardiac catheterizations and bypass surgeries on them. The scandal erupted after FBI agents raided the medical center in October 2002 and discovered that hundreds of its surgical patients' medical records did not support the need for surgery. Some of the plaintiffs' complications from the surgeries included stroke, paralysis, and heart attack. Many patients now require assisted living, and 94 of the patients have died. The plaintiffs sued for fraud, battery, negligence, and elder abuse, as most of the plaintiffs ranged in age from 65 to 90. The estates of the 94 patients who died sued for wrongful death.

A lawsuit is still pending against the four cardiac surgeons. There are 10 "test" cases against these surgeons, whose trials are set to begin in September 2005. As soon as these cases are tried, the other cases against the surgeons will likely settle.

The amount each plaintiff received, which remains confidential, differed depending on the severity of treatment, age, and complicating factors.

As a result of its investigation by state and federal authorities for its practices in Redding, Tenet Healthcare settled with government investigators during the summer of 2004, and agreed to pay an additional $54 million fine. Tenet has since sold the hospital.