Grinnell (Iowa) Regional Medical Center faces a $4.5 million verdict after a jury sided with a former lab director who claims he was fired because he refused to retire after he was diagnosed with cancer, according to the Des Moines Register.
Gregory Hawkins worked at the nonprofit hospital for nearly 40 years before being fired in June 2015. Mr. Hawkins claimed that, after taking medical leave to receive chemotherapy for breast cancer in late 2013, he began working on a part time basis in March 2014. Hospital administrators asked him to retire because they needed a full-time lab director, though his oncologists said he would be fully recovered by the end of the year.
The hospital suspended him in October 2014, when his cancer was in remission and he was able to work full-time. Though Mr. Hawkins always received positive performance reviews, he was terminated in June 2015 and replaced with someone 10 years younger. The jury found the hospital as well as two senior administrators guilty of violation rules that ban retaliation, age discrimination and disability discrimination.
"We believe the evidence does not support the verdict or the extraordinary jury award," said Denise Lamphier, communications director for Grinnell Regional Medical Center. The hospital intends to appeal the verdict.
More Articles on Legal and Regulatory Issues:
Healthcare executive gets nearly 10 years in prison for $56.5M fraud scheme
6 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements
Lawsuits allege Memphis hospitals engage in illegal billing practices