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Doctors Fired for Raising Patient Safety Concerns
17 Dec
Summary
- Two pediatricians claim wrongful termination by University Hospitals.
- They raised concerns about understaffing and delayed test results.
- The doctors seek reinstatement and compensation for damages.
Two former University Hospitals pediatricians, Lauren Beene and Valerie Fouts-Fowler, have filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination in June 2025. The suit claims the doctors were fired after voicing serious concerns about patient care quality within the healthcare system. These concerns included issues such as understaffing in emergency rooms, delays in processing test samples, and a lack of essential medications.
The lawsuit contends that University Hospitals Health Systems, University Hospitals Medical Practices, and University Hospitals Medical Group unjustly terminated the doctors, violating their employment contracts and Ohio law. The defense reportedly claims the firings were for improper use of a provider app, a motive the doctors allege was a pretext to hide retaliatory actions for their whistleblowing.
Beene and Fouts-Fowler are seeking reinstatement to their positions, along with redress for reputational harm, economic losses due to unemployment, and emotional distress caused by the terminations and an alleged subsequent smear campaign by the hospital system. University Hospitals has declined to comment on the pending litigation.
