Judge Reduces Award to West Virginia Surgeon in Malpractice Insurance Case

A judge in West Virginia reduced by more than half a jury’s multimillion-dollar award to a Charleston surgeon whose hospital privileges were wrongfully revoked.

A Kanawha County jury in February awarded Dr. R.E. Hamrick Jr. $25 million in his lawsuit against Charleston Area Medical Center.

But Special Judge Joseph Alsop’s ruling released July 10 said there was no evidence presented that justified that amount. Alsop reduced the damages to $10 million.

The jury had determined that CAMC administrators engaged in fraudulent, malicious and oppressive conduct in a dispute over malpractice insurance.

Hamrick sued after CAMC pulled his hospital privileges in 2004 after he established a $1 million self-funded malpractice program instead of obtaining commercial coverage.

A few days later, the Supreme Court restored his privileges.

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Information from: The Charleston Gazette,
http://www.wvgazette.com