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LA City Attorney Settles With Hospital Over Patient Dumping

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — A hospital will pay $450,000 to settle a lawsuit by the city of Los Angeles contending it dumped a homeless woman with schizophrenia on Skid Row.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced the settlement Tuesday, more than a year after his office sued Gardens Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

"Patient dumping is an unconscionable practice and will not be tolerated," Feuer said in a statement.

The suit claimed the 38-year-old woman was wearing paper hospital garb and had no phone, ID, money or medication when she was left at a downtown shelter in September 2014. She allegedly wandered aimlessly through Skid Row before finally finding assistance.

The suit said the hospital improperly discharged the same woman at least five times.

The hospital has since filed for bankruptcy. It did not comment on the settlement. The hospital will pay the $450,000 in civil penalties once a court approves its sale.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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