Georgetown Medical faces class action lawsuit for allegedly exposing patients to diseases

March 2, 2000
Web posted at: 1:56 a.m. EST (0656 GMT)

In this story: Patient: Life became 'living hell' $2 million sought per patient RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A $1.8 billion class action lawsuit has been filed in the Washington D.C. Superior Court against Georgetown University Medical Center, on behalf of more than 600 patients who may have been exposed to HIV or other infectious diseases while being treated by the hospital.

The lawsuit resulted from the alleged mishandling of a former patient at the hospital in January and from charges that an unsupervised employee recently used unsterile needles on potentially 600 other patients.

Reports surfaced last week that Jeffrey Royal, a hospital technician at the Georgetown Medical Center, replaced pain medication with unauthorized substances, including saltwater, and administered these substances with unsterile needles to patients being treated at the hospital.

The counts detailed in the lawsuit include assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, training and supervision; negligence resulting in personal injury; and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Patient: Life became 'living hell'

Attorney Joseph Cammarata said he was retained by a former female patient who received a letter from the Medical Center stating that she may have been exposed to infectious diseases when she underwent a radiology procedure in early January. Cammarata filed the suit on behalf of his client and the 600 other patients who may have been recently exposed to infectious diseases.

Cammarata' s client is unnamed to protect her privacy, but she is described as a married mother of three who resides in Centreville, Virginia. Her life has become "a living hell" since the incident, according to Cammarata.

"She is at a loss to understand how an institution that is charged with maintaining the health and well-being of those that come within its care could let something like this happen," he said. "How could it be that Georgetown Medical Center would hire someone without doing a proper background check."

Cammarata holds the hospital responsible for each incident in the 600 potential exposures -- charging that Georgetown failed to provide adequate supervision of its employee, Royal.

"You first have to make sure that the person you are hiring has the appropriate background, the appropriate credentials, consistent with the task at hand," said Cammarata.

$2 million sought per patient

"Once that employee is part of the organization it's important to supervise that employee and make sure that employee stays on the straight and narrow and...does the task that's required. So yes, we do have and think that there was a failing on the part of the hospital to appropriately and adequately supervise the conduct of Mr. Royal and for that, that breach, they are responsible."

Cammarata said the $1.8 billion dollars would help compensate each potential victim $2 million for their suffering.

"We have placed a number of $2 million for each of the 600 potential plaintiffs and that's why we're seeking $1.2 billion in compensatory damages. We're also seeking $600 million in punitive damages, for their willful, intentional misconduct and we're hoping that this will serve as a deterrent to any such future conduct."

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