WINFIELD - Another nine medical malpractice lawsuits, for a total of more than $10 million, were settled Thursday by Dr. John A. King's former patients and their families and King's former employers. Dozens more settlements are awaiting court approval, a judge said Thursday.
WINFIELD - Another nine medical malpractice lawsuits, for a total of more than $10 million, were settled Thursday by Dr. John A. King's former patients and their families and King's former employers. Dozens more settlements are awaiting court approval, a judge said Thursday.
King, an osteopathic surgeon who has lost medical licenses in several states, generated 124 lawsuits during his seven months on the staff at now-defunct Putnam General Hospital. The injured patients sued Putnam General and the Hospital Corporation of America, the hospital's parent company.
No settlements have been reached with King, who filed for Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy in Birmingham, Ala. in December. King does not have insurance coverage for almost all of the lawsuits against him.
Putnam Circuit Judge O.C. Spaulding approved the nine settlements, totaling $10.14 million, on Thursday. Spaulding approved three other settlements, worth a total of $2.4 million, on May 6.
Each of the 12 lawsuits included a settlement of $23,585 from David McNair, King's physician assistant at Putnam General, for a total of $283,020. Those settlements were with patients represented by the Charleston law firm of Curry and Tolliver.
Spaulding indicated Thursday that Putnam Circuit judges would approve private settlements verified by signed agreements reached by Curry & Tolliver on behalf of 58 other clients with HCA and McNair.
Unlike the previous settlements, the amount of money in those settlements can remain private because official court approval was not sought, Spaulding said.
The nine settlements presented to Spaulding on Thursday for his approval included seven cases involving either patients or family members under the age of 18. State law requires those settlements to be made in public, the judge said.
Those settlements included:
Lisa and Stephen Coiner, $1.45 million for injuries to Lisa Coiner.
Linda and Marvin Goodpaster, $1.32 million for injuries to Marvin Goodpaster, including $46,773 set aside for each of two children.
John and Lisa Hansroth, $1.15 million in a settlement involving injuries from King's surgery on John "Andy" Hansroth, a Charleston Gazette reporter who died in March 2005. The settlement included money for their three children.
David and Zamba Holestin: $1.32 million for a failed spinal fusion operation to David Holestin, including $187,915 for one of the couple's two children who was alive at the time of the failed surgery.
Matthew and April Murphy: $150,000 for injuries to one of their daughters during an operation King performed on her broken arm. Their daughter suffered no permanent injuries.WINFIELD - Another nine medical malpractice lawsuits, for a total of more than $10 million, were settled Thursday by Dr. John A. King's former patients and their families and King's former employers. Dozens more settlements are awaiting court approval, a judge said Thursday.
King, an osteopathic surgeon who has lost medical licenses in several states, generated 124 lawsuits during his seven months on the staff at now-defunct Putnam General Hospital. The injured patients sued Putnam General and the Hospital Corporation of America, the hospital's parent company.
No settlements have been reached with King, who filed for Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy in Birmingham, Ala. in December. King does not have insurance coverage for almost all of the lawsuits against him.
Putnam Circuit Judge O.C. Spaulding approved the nine settlements, totaling $10.14 million, on Thursday. Spaulding approved three other settlements, worth a total of $2.4 million, on May 6.
Each of the 12 lawsuits included a settlement of $23,585 from David McNair, King's physician assistant at Putnam General, for a total of $283,020. Those settlements were with patients represented by the Charleston law firm of Curry and Tolliver.
Spaulding indicated Thursday that Putnam Circuit judges would approve private settlements verified by signed agreements reached by Curry & Tolliver on behalf of 58 other clients with HCA and McNair.
Unlike the previous settlements, the amount of money in those settlements can remain private because official court approval was not sought, Spaulding said.
The nine settlements presented to Spaulding on Thursday for his approval included seven cases involving either patients or family members under the age of 18. State law requires those settlements to be made in public, the judge said.
Those settlements included:
Lisa and Stephen Coiner, $1.45 million for injuries to Lisa Coiner.
Linda and Marvin Goodpaster, $1.32 million for injuries to Marvin Goodpaster, including $46,773 set aside for each of two children.
John and Lisa Hansroth, $1.15 million in a settlement involving injuries from King's surgery on John "Andy" Hansroth, a Charleston Gazette reporter who died in March 2005. The settlement included money for their three children.
David and Zamba Holestin: $1.32 million for a failed spinal fusion operation to David Holestin, including $187,915 for one of the couple's two children who was alive at the time of the failed surgery.
Matthew and April Murphy: $150,000 for injuries to one of their daughters during an operation King performed on her broken arm. Their daughter suffered no permanent injuries.
Katherine and Barry Rutledge, $2 million for King's failed treatment of Katherine Rutledge's minor foot problem, which later caused her legs to be amputated.
Carrie Ann and Mark Triplett, $730,000 for a flawed 2003 operation, which included $70,463 for each of their two children.
Spaulding approved two other settlements announced on Thursday that involved King patients whose ability to approve their settlements had been questioned.
In those settlements, Regina Bird received $2 million and Steven Dingess received $750,000.
Curry & Tolliver received 40 percent of each of the nine settlements in legal fees. The firm was also paid for costs needed to bring the cases to court, which sometimes approached another 10 percent of the total settlement.
Curry & Tolliver charged only 25 percent in legal fees for any funds that went to children under 18. Those funds were placed into secure investment funds, intended to help the children pay for their college educations or other expenses.
At least 22 of the 70 people represented by Curry & Tolliver will also continue their lawsuits against Wright Medical Technology and EBI LP. Those two companies manufactured spinal implants and monitoring devices King used in his surgeries. Those suits could go to trial beginning early next year.
"King put those devices inside their backs. They all failed. All those implants have broken or subsided," Tyler Thompson, a co-counsel based in Louisville, Ky., said Thursday.
Thompson also lauded the work done by Curry and Tolliver.
"This was a five-year journey to get justice for these families," he said. "HCA hired 29 lawyers from 17 different firms in 12 different states. Those 17 firms tried to take 80 depositions related to the suits against King in one month. It was an overwhelming onslaught.
Other cases against King that have been settled, but not yet formally dismissed, include those filed by 11 patients represented by Charleston lawyer Bill Druckman and 24 patients represented by Charleston lawyer Richard Lindsay.
To contact staff writer Paul J. Nyden, use e-mail or call 348-5164.
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