An eight-member jury awarded at least $484,000 to a Michigan physician Oct. 9 as part of a federal lawsuit against Pontiac (Mich.) General Hospital regarding allegations the hospital charged the individual a fee to be admitted to its residency program, ABC 7 WXYZ Detroit reports.
Varun Chopra, MD, and his family filed a lawsuit in federal court against the hospital last year, according to Crain's Detroit Business. In the lawsuit, Dr. Chopra claimed Pontiac General Hospital charged him $400,000 to gain acceptance into its medical residency program in 2016. Once the payment had been made, the hospital and Dr. Chopra began making arrangements allowing Dr. Chopra to begin his formal training on Nov. 1, 2016, according to court documents.
However, Dr. Chopra claimed in court documents he became disassociated from the residency program in October 2016, but was never told so by hospital officials directly. Instead, Dr. Chopra claims hospital officials sent him a letter Nov. 1, 2016, stating he withdrew from the program. The hospital claimed Dr. Chopra left the program voluntarily and that the $400,000 was a voluntary donation, not a fee for admission into the residency program, according to court documents.
The trial began Oct. 3 and ended Oct. 5. The jury deliberated for roughly three and a half hours before coming to its unanimous verdict, Crain's reports.
Pontiac General Hospital CEO Sanyam Sharma told Crain's Oct. 10 the hospital is evaluating its options for further action.
"We disagree with the jury's verdict. Since we got the verdict yesterday, I think it's a little too early to definitively comment on an appeal, but it is a strong possibility," he said.