Lorraine Sylvester, who advises insurers on healthcare providers, was quoted in “Huge Payouts Pressure Hospitals To Address Doc Sex Abuse” in Law360 on May 14, 2024.
“She said the liability standards for hospitals remain the same, based on what they knew about the allegations and how they responded. However, the liability exposure and general sentiment toward healthcare systems has changed as a result of these suits,” she told Law360. The financial stakes are high, she said, as shown by a massive jury award this spring against a subsidiary of Universal Health Services Inc.
Institutions will likely face greater scrutiny even in cases of single-claimant allegations, as reflected in the recent UHS case, which resulted in a $535 million award. A hospital’s liability depends on the level of knowledge the institution had about the employee’s history with sexual abuse/assault claims and the actions taken after learning of the claims.”
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