Class Action Against Hospital Involving 45 Deaths During Hurricaine Katrina Settles


From The Courthouse News Service

By SABRINA CANFIELD

NEW ORLEANS (CN) – A class action involving deaths of patients at a major New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina has been settled. Forty-five bodies were recovered from Memorial Medical Center, then owned by Tenet Health Systems, after the August 2005 storm left 85 percent of New Orleans underwater.

The terms of the settlement were not released.

The plaintiffs are family members of people who died at Memorial, employees of LifeCare Hospitals, a health care company that leased space from Tenet, and visitors to the hospital who were trapped by the storm.

Rick Black, a spokesman for Tenet, said in a statement Wednesday: “This has been a long and difficult situation for all concerned, but the parties are pleased to be able to announce that an amicable resolution has been reached subject to court approval at… (Continued...)




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