In Orange County, California, AIDS Dr. George Steven Kooshian has pleaded guilty to administering less than the actual dosage of medication than what was prescribed to patients. Kooshian ran clinics in Garden Grove, Laguna Beach, and Long Beach. He pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements over healthcare matters and two counts of healthcare fraud. He could face up to 50 years in prison.
In 2005, Kooshian's former long-time assistant, Anaheim resident Virgil Opinion, told the media that the AIDS doctor was subdosing patients. Opinion has pleaded guilty to taking part in Kooshian's scheme. The ex-assistant and one of Kooshian's patients went on to sue the AIDS doctor and the civil lawsuit was resolved after a confidential agreement was reached.
California Medical Malpractice
Doctors, nurses, surgeons, dentists, plastic surgeons, and other medical providers can be held liable for medical malpractice if they fail to provide a patient with the standard level of care or if carelessness, recklessness, or negligence leads to a patient getting hurt, not receiving the proper medical treatment, or dying. Depending on the circumstances surrounding a personal injury or wrongful death case, the negligent medical worker's employer, such as a hospital or another type of facility, could also be held liable for medical malpractice.
In California, medical malpractice plaintiffs have three years from the date the injury occurred or one year from the time the victim should have found out or did discover that the injury was a result of medical malpractice to file a lawsuit against the defendants. For minors younger than 6, the statute of limitations for filing a California medical malpractice lawsuit is before the child turns 8 or until three years after the injury date--whichever occurs first.
While California medical malpractice defendants are jointly and severally responsible for economic damages, liability for noneconomic damages is proportional according to the fault of each defendant. The cap on noneconomic damages in a California medical malpractice case is $250,000.
AIDS doctor admits shorting patients on medicine, OC Register, February 26, 2009
Dr. George Kooshian to Plead Guilty to Charging Big Bucks for Bogus Injections, OC Weekly, February 4, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice, Justia
Please contact our Orange County, California Medical Malpractice Attorneys at the Anaheim-based personal injury law firm of Howard Nassiri, LLP to schedule a free consultation. Our medical malpractice and wrongful death attorneys represent clients throughout Southern California.
