THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

Jury awards doctor $4 million in health care lab case

Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – +
April 5, 2008

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.—A state court jury in Bridgeport has awarded more than $4 million to a doctor who was fired from a health care lab in Stratford after he complained that one of its tests could jeopardize patients' health.

The six jurors found on Friday that Dianon Systems Inc.'s firing of Trumbull doctor G. Barry Schumann in April 2005 violated his free speech rights. The verdict could increase to nearly $7 million when lawyers' fees and interest are added in.

Dianon spokeswoman Donna Schuetz says the company disagrees with the verdict and intends to appeal.

The lab test in question was a new diagnostic exam for patients with blood in their urine used to determine if they had kidney or urinary tract problems. Schumann complained that the test could produce false results that lead to unnecessary treatments.

Last year, Dianon paid $1.5 million to settle federal charges that it billed Medicare for unnecessary tests.

------

Information from: Connecticut Post, http://www.connpost.com

© Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

more stories like this

  • Email
  • Email
  • Print
  • Print
  • Single page
  • Single page
  • Reprints
  • Reprints
  • Share
  • Share
  • Comment
  • Comment
 
  • Share on DiggShare on Digg
  • Tag with Del.icio.us Save this article
  • powered by Del.icio.us
Your Name Your e-mail address (for return address purposes) E-mail address of recipients (separate multiple addresses with commas) Name and both e-mail fields are required.
Message (optional)
Disclaimer: Boston.com does not share this information or keep it permanently, as it is for the sole purpose of sending this one time e-mail.