Tarek Salaway, who served as CEO of Portland-based OHSU Health for less than four months before being terminated in March, has filed a $15.5 million lawsuit against Oregon Health & Science University.
Mr. Salaway filed the lawsuit Aug. 13 in Multnomah County Circuit Court, according to court documents reviewed by Becker’s.
Five things to know:
1. In the complaint, Mr. Salaway alleged OHSU fired him in retaliation for raising concerns about patient safety, employee discrimination and spending. Mr. Salaway said he urged university leaders to address emergency department boarding, respiratory therapy issues involving pediatric patients and what he viewed as discriminatory treatment of women and Black leaders. He also pushed back on about $3 million in proposed Hillsboro (Ore.) Medical Center renovations, citing OHSU’s role covering the hospital’s monthly operating losses of about $1.5 million to $1.7 million. OHSU terminated him March 18 and publicly announced his departure in April.
2. Mr. Salaway further alleged that bias related to his race, religion and sexual orientation shaped how colleagues described him and how OHSU handled the investigation into his conduct; he is gay, Muslim and a man of color, according to the complaint.
3. OHSU denied the allegations, stating that Mr. Salaway’s termination “was not related to concerns raised about alleged patient safety or quality, or bias of any kind,” a health system spokesperson said in an Aug. 17 statement shared with Becker’s.
4. The university has previously said it dismissed Mr. Salaway because of “professional and communication concerns,” not serious misconduct, The Oregonian reported Aug. 17. The dispute traces back to March, when Mr. Salaway said he reprimanded a departing executive over comments he viewed as racially discriminatory toward a Black colleague. Mr. Salaway was placed on leave and became the subject of a workplace safety investigation after being accused of threatening to harm the executive, which he denied. He was terminated three days after submitting a written response disputing the allegations.
5. Mr. Salaway is seeking up to $13 million in economic damages and $2.5 million for emotional distress and reputational damage, as well as attorney fees and interest.
“As a CEO of a public-serving academic health system, I had an obligation to speak and address issues that could affect the long-term integrity, safety, or sustainability of the institution,” Mr. Salaway said in an Aug. 17 statement shared with Becker’s. “The records will show that my actions were guided by that duty and by a commitment to ensuring concerns were addressed thoughtfully and through appropriate channels.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:59 a.m. Central time on Aug. 18.
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