Becker's reported on two spine and orthopedic setlements in the last month.
1. A woman whose bowel was perforated during spine surgery won a $1.1 million settlement. Rachid Assina, MD, operated on Miriam Franco in 2019 at University Hospital in Newark, N.J. A couple days after surgery, she had an elevated heart rate and a CT scan showed she had air in her abdomen. Four days after her surgery, a surgeon found Ms. Franco's bowel was perforated, and she developed an infection.
2. The four orthopedic surgeons who sued Grand Rapids-based Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan over a noncompete clause have reached a settlement. The surgeons filed their lawsuit in January alleging OAM's noncompete clause forced them to leave Kent County. They previously worked with OAM and wanted to work for IHA, an affiliate of Trinity Health, as employed physicians. But OAM allegedly insisted on enforcement of its noncompete clause.