As of Wednesday, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is facing its fourth lawsuit over a mold outbreak discovered in September 2015, according to Trib Live.
The newest lawsuit claims UPMC was negligent and did not follow federal regulations to prevent a fungal infection in Daniel Krieg, who underwent a kidney transplant in July 2015, returned to the hospital in March this year, contracted a mold infection and later died.
He was one of five patients who contracted mold infections and later died.
Mr. Krieg's attorneys say the hospital placed Mr. Krieg in a negative-pressure room. A CDC report on the mold problem, released in May, pointed to the improper use of negative-pressure rooms as a possible source of the infections.
UPMC officials previously acknowledged Mr. Krieg's infection but said his death could be attributed to pneumonia. In a statement given to Trib Live Wednesday, UPMC said, "Our sympathies are with Mr. Krieg's family and the doctors and nurses who cared for him. We continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to better understand and learn from the course of his illness."
This is the fourth lawsuit filed against UPMC as a result of the mold outbreak. UPMC has settled two of them for $1.35 million each. The family involved in the third lawsuit had not been approached for a settlement as of September.