While the man accused of spreading hepatitis C to patients in hospitals throughout the country, including a hospital in Pennsylvania, awaits his criminal trial, some civil medical malpractice lawsuits concerning the matter have been making their way through the court system. Recently, several of those lawsuits reached a conclusion.

A total of six cases filed against Exeter Hospital have settled. The terms of the settlements have not been disclosed. Accordingly, it is unclear how much money the hospital will pay the individuals who filed the cases. Currently there are 23 additional lawsuits still pending against the hospital.

Details concerning the individuals involved in the cases are not known. Hepatitis C can be very painful and in the worst cases even result in death. While some of the infected patients may have become seriously ill as a result, others are likely doing well after receiving treatment. The extent that the disease impacted their lives likely had a bearing on the final settlement terms.

It is fair to say that no one enters a hospital expecting to contract a serious disease while there. When the policies of a hospital make it possible for an employee who poses a risk to patients, to work there, and something does happen, the hospital may be held responsible for those actions in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

How and when the remaining cases against Exeter Hospital will be resolved remains to be seen. Whatever the amount, it is likely that those who filed the lawsuits will be aided by the amount received.

Source: Seacoast Online, “Exeter Hospital settling hepatitis C civil lawsuits,” Aaron Sanborn, Aug. 2, 2013