After four patients contracted mold infections in two UPMC hospitals in Pittsburgh, the system faced two lawsuits from patients' family members. One such case was recently settled for $1.35 million, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The daughter of Tracy Fischer, who was the first of the four transplant patients to die after contracting the mold infection, settled her suit following a month of mediation. The settlement was made official by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Ronald Folino on Wednesday.
In the settlement, UPMC agreed to pay the family $850,000 now and $500,000 in one year.
"We again extend our sympathy to the family of Ms. Fischer and appreciate their graciousness," UPMC said in a statement emailed to the Post-Gazette.
UPMC still faces a suit from the family of Che DuVall, who died nearly a year after Ms. Fischer. The family's attorney, Brendan Lupetin, said this case is different because Mr. DuVall's death happened so long after Ms. Fischer's. "The conditions were more aggravated because there were things that should have been looked into," he told the Post-Gazette.
In May, the CDC pointed to the improper use of negative-pressure rooms as a possible source of the mold infections.