A New Orleans judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement that would end a class-action lawsuit that alleges Tenet Healthcare failed to properly prepare its hospital for Hurricane Katrina, according to a New York Times report.
Dallas-based Tenet and a subsidiary would pay $25 million to patients and visitors injured at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans, as well as survivors of the dead. The settlement would be divided by a court-appointed administrator. The number of people entitled to a share is unknown, but there were 187 patients and approximately 800 visitors in the hospital during the 2005 crisis, according to the news report.
The lawsuit claims the hospital was poorly prepared for the foreseeable natural disaster, and responded inadequately. The facility went dark after backup generators failed during the hurricane, and patients and others who took shelter at the hospital were harmed, according to the suit. Also, helicopters hired by Tenet did not arrive until two days after the streets around the hospital flooded. The bodies of 45 patients were found at the hospital, and the suit alleges inadequate care as well.
The final hearing is scheduled for October.
Read the New York Times report on Tenet and the Hurricane Katrina lawsuit.
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Dallas-based Tenet and a subsidiary would pay $25 million to patients and visitors injured at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans, as well as survivors of the dead. The settlement would be divided by a court-appointed administrator. The number of people entitled to a share is unknown, but there were 187 patients and approximately 800 visitors in the hospital during the 2005 crisis, according to the news report.
The lawsuit claims the hospital was poorly prepared for the foreseeable natural disaster, and responded inadequately. The facility went dark after backup generators failed during the hurricane, and patients and others who took shelter at the hospital were harmed, according to the suit. Also, helicopters hired by Tenet did not arrive until two days after the streets around the hospital flooded. The bodies of 45 patients were found at the hospital, and the suit alleges inadequate care as well.
The final hearing is scheduled for October.
Read the New York Times report on Tenet and the Hurricane Katrina lawsuit.
Related Articles on Tenet Healthcare:
Trial Starts for Lawsuit Against Tenet Over Hospital Deaths After KatrinaTenet Settles Suit Over Patient Deaths At New Orleans Hospital After Katrina
Tenet Seeks Damages For Costs of Resisting Community Health Takeover