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A nurse filed a defamation lawsuit against his former employer, Health Central, after he was fired for allegedly looking in a celebrity’s medical files. He is asking for more than $400,000 in damages and requesting the hospital reinstate him.
He also requested that the hospital write a letter detailing why he was fired to its employees, a New York Injury Lawyer commented. The nurse said he was fired because of circumstantial evidence. He could lose his license.
The celebrity stayed at the facility after a November 2009 car crash outside of his home. He was at the hospital for several hours. He used the aliases Ronald Williams and Ernest Smith.
The nurse accuses Health Central of hospital defamation, conspiracy to defame, harm his reputation, and violate polygraph procedures. The hospital fired him for looking into the man’s medical records three times over a 10-minute period.
However, the nurse said he left the terminal and someone else logged in to look at the file. The nurse worked at the hospital a decade before was fired.
According to the lawsuit, on Dec. 4, 2008, two hospital administrators called the nurse in and showed him the celebrity’s files. They accused him of using the terminal to look at patient files. He denied the allegations and asked for a polygraph test to prove his innocence.
On Dec. 8, 2009, he took a 45-minute polygraph test at his home. The results of the test were not included in the lawsuit. It is unclear if the nurse had access to the test results. Dec. 16, 2009, the hospital decided to fire the nurse.
If you or a loved one has been falsely accused and has been terminated from their employment, contact Stephen Bilkis and Associates. Whether you have been injured in a car accident, or have a workers’ compensation claim, our office help you get back on your feet and get the matter figured out.