Nurse & Healthcare Legal Cases You Need to Know About This Week
Legal cases in healthcare don’t just impact the individuals involved—they set precedents that can reshape nursing practice, influence hospital policies, and even change laws. Whether it’s a malpractice lawsuit, a wrongful termination case, or the criminal prosecution of a healthcare worker, these legal battles impact the medical profession as a whole. Staying informed is essential for protecting your license, understanding your rights, and advocating for safer workplace conditions.
Each week, new legal cases emerge that could have lasting implications for nurses and the healthcare industry. By staying up to date, nurses can better protect themselves, advocate for systemic change, and ensure they’re practicing within the evolving legal framework of their profession. Here’s what you need to know this week.
This Week: Legal Cases and Lawsuit Updates
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Court Hits China with $24B Penalty for Hoarding PPE in Pandemic: A U.S. federal judge in Missouri has ruled that China is liable for its actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, ordering the country to pay approximately $24 billion in damages. The lawsuit, filed by Missouri's attorney general in April 2020, alleged that China concealed the virus's spread and hoarded personal protective equipment (PPE), exacerbating global shortages and economic losses. Missouri claims it spent over $122 million more on PPE and lost more than $8 billion in tax revenue due to these actions. China has denied the allegations and warned of potential retaliatory measures. Collecting the judgment poses significant challenges, with Missouri planning to seize Chinese-owned assets within the state.
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NICU Nurse Who Broke Preemie Babies' Bones on Purpose Hit with More Felony Charges: Former NICU nurse Erin Strotman now faces six new felony charges after a grand jury indicted her for malicious wounding and child abuse involving three premature infants at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. Prosecutors are also reviewing four additional cases from 2023 where an internal investigation linked Strotman to infants with broken bones, with her next court date set for March 20.
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Colonial Heights Nursing Home Banned From New Admissions After Abuse & Death Claims: Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Virginia has been banned from accepting new admissions due to allegations of abuse, neglect, and a resident's death. Investigations began in December 2024, leading to charges against 18 staff members for elder abuse, neglect, and falsifying records. A March 2025 state inspection substantiated complaints about inadequate staffing, improper medication administration, and poor wound care. The facility has faced mounting scrutiny, including the Veterans Affairs agency halting placements of veterans since late 2024. As of March 10, 2025, the nursing home remains closed to new applicants amid ongoing investigations.
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$25M Lawsuit Claims Hospital Failed Mental Health Patient Before Deadly Police Restraint: The estate of Irvo Otieno has filed a $25 million lawsuit against HCA's Parham Doctors' Hospital in Virginia, alleging the facility failed to properly treat him during a mental health crisis on March 3, 2023. Otieno later died after being restrained by police, leading to second-degree murder charges against seven deputies and three hospital employees. The lawsuit claims the hospital’s failure to stabilize Otieno set off a chain of events that resulted in his death, with his mother believing proper care could have prevented the tragedy,
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Nurse Assaulted at Bayville Rehab—Ocean County Man Found Guilty: An Ocean County, New Jersey jury has found David Taber, 67, guilty of criminal sexual contact for assaulting a nurse at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation Center in Bayville. The incident occurred on March 22, 2023, when Taber, a patient at the facility, inappropriately touched the nurse and attempted to remove her clothing while she was performing her duties. The attack was stopped by a co-worker's intervention. Following a week-long trial, Taber was convicted and now faces up to 18 months in prison, with sentencing scheduled for May 9, 2025. This case underscores the persistent problem of violence against healthcare workers in care facilities.
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Florida hospital operator Landmark Holdings files for bankruptcy: Landmark Holdings of Florida, operator of six long-term acute care hospitals across three states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 9, 2025. The company cited financial challenges including rising labor and pharmaceutical costs, and stagnant Medicare reimbursements as reasons for the filing. Despite these issues, Landmark expects to maintain sufficient cash flow to keep its hospitals operational throughout the bankruptcy process.
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Utah Newly signed HB14 allows critical care medics to perform some of the same procedures as nurses and doctors: This law expands the scope of practice for emergency medical service workers who obtain additional certification as "critical care medics." The law allows these specially trained medics to perform advanced medical procedures typically reserved for nurses and doctors, including intubations. This legislation, advocated by Crystal Albrecht of CommonSpirit Health, aims to address nursing shortages by enabling certified medics to take on more responsibilities in emergency departments.
Last Week
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Sutter Health Settlement: Sutter Health reached an agreement to settle a long-running antitrust class-action lawsuit for $411 million, just hours before a retrial was set to begin. The case alleged that Sutter used its market power to force health plans into non competitive contracts including "all-or-nothing" agreements that prevented plans from steering patients to lower-cost providers.
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Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center: Edna Yarashevich, a nurse at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, has reached a tentative settlement in her sexual harassment and whistleblower lawsuit against Los Angeles County and a supervising physician. The lawsuit alleged that Yarashevich faced months of sexual harassment from a doctor and subsequent retaliation when she reported the misconduct, with the settlement expected to be finalized by April 1, 2025.
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Nurse Who Was Bullied At Work, By Coworker With Tea, Gets $51K (£41K): Susan Hamilton, a diabetes specialist nurse at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, was awarded £41,000 ($51,000) in compensation after experiencing years of bullying from a colleague, including being excluded from tea rounds. The employment tribunal ruled that the NHS Trust failed to adequately address the bullying behavior, which began in 2018 and ultimately led to Hamilton's resignation in 2022 due to work-related stress.
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Christian Nurse Settles With CVS Alleging She Was Fired for Refusing to Prescribe Contraception: CVS and MinuteClinic reached a settlement with Robyn Strader, a Christian nurse practitioner who was fired for refusing to prescribe contraceptives that she believed could harm unborn children, due to her religious beliefs. The settlement, reached just before a federal lawsuit was set to proceed, concludes a case where Strader alleged that CVS violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by revoking her long-standing religious accommodation and terminating her employment in October 2021.
Recent
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Nursing Home Operator's Lawsuits Pile Up: 3 Retaliation, 10 Wrongful Death Claims: Care Initiatives, a major Iowa nursing home operator with 44 facilities, faces its third whistleblower retaliation lawsuit within a year, filed by nurse Tina Weber for alleged retaliation after reporting patient care concerns. The company is also battling at least 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed in the past 18 months, including four against one facility, alleging negligence and inadequate care.
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Saad Healthcare Agrees to Pay $3M to Settle False Claims Act Allegations: Saad agreed to pay $3 million to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent Medicare claims for hospice care of patients who were not terminally ill. The settlement resolves claims that between 2013 and 2020, Saad knowingly billed Medicare for 21 ineligible hospice patients in Alabama.
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Cleared of Manslaughter, Black Nurse Now Faces Hospital in Landmark Discrimination Trial: DonQuenick Yvonne Joppy, a Black registered nurse at The Medical Center of Aurora in Colorado, faced manslaughter charges in November 2020 after following a doctor's verbal orders for end-of-life care of a 94-year-old patient. Despite the patient's death certificate indicating natural causes, Joppy was terminated and charged, but the charges were dropped in September 2021 "in the interest of justice," leading her to file a racial discrimination lawsuit against the hospital in April 2022.
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Nursing Home Operator's Lawsuits Pile Up: 3 Retaliation, 10 Wrongful Death Claims: Care Initiatives, a major Iowa nursing home operator with 44 facilities, faces its third whistleblower retaliation lawsuit within a year, filed by nurse Tina Weber for alleged retaliation after reporting patient care concerns. The company is also battling at least 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed in the past 18 months, including four against one facility, alleging negligence and inadequate care.
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Saad Healthcare Agrees to Pay $3M to Settle False Claims Act Allegations: Saad agreed to pay $3 million to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent Medicare claims for hospice care of patients who were not terminally ill. The settlement resolves claims that between 2013 and 2020, Saad knowingly billed Medicare for 21 ineligible hospice patients in Alabama.
Legal issues in healthcare are constantly evolving, and staying informed is one of the best ways for nurses to protect themselves, their patients, and their profession. From malpractice lawsuits to workplace protections and criminal cases, each legal battle carries lessons that can shape the future of nursing. By understanding these cases, nurses can better navigate their own practice, advocate for change, and ensure they are prepared for any legal challenges they may face.
Check back each week for updates on the latest legal cases impacting nurses and the healthcare industry. Staying informed is the first step in staying protected.
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