Former Hospital Owner Will Pay $125K To Settle Patient Dumping Suit
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former owner of an Inglewood hospital will pay $125,000 to settle a lawsuit that claimed it dumped a homeless woman at a shelter.
The Los Angeles Times reports Friday that Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center didn't acknowledge any wrongdoing, but agreed to pay $125,000 in fines and charity contributions.
The suit by the Los Angeles city attorney claimed the hospital discharged a woman with chronic lung problems in 2007. She was allegedly taken to a temporary winter shelter where she was found clutching an oxygen cylinder.
Centinela Freeman Holdings also agreed to an injunction that prohibits it from discharging homeless patients to the streets or shelters.
In recent years, three other hospitals in the region have paid more than $3 million to settle patient dumping claims.
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