This Could Have Been Your Surgeon
Putnam General Hospital in West Virginia was guilty of “wantonness, recklessness and gross negligence” in not properly checking the background of John A. King, a surgeon who is now facing more malpractice lawsuits than any other doctor in the state’s history. What’s wrong with this guy? King, who changed his name to Christopher Wallace Martin last year after claiming people were trying to steal his identity, did not appear at the Putnam County Courthouse during the trial, which began July 16. A critical factor, the judge said, was Putnam General’s loss of all the original files about privileging and credentialing King.
“Putnam General had a definite duty to preserve it. But Putnam General failed to preserve the files,” Spaulding told the jurors. “Because the hospital lost the credentialing files, you may infer that if the hospital had saved the original privileging files, it would have contained information that was adverse to them … and favorable to the plaintiffs.”Before offering King a post, Putnam General administrators promised to pay him $35,000 a month, as well as a $45,000 signing bonus, $15,000 in moving fees and $5,000 in advertising costs.
Arden Curry, a Charleston lawyer representing about 70 plaintiffs against King, pointed out King never completed any orthopedic residency, was never certified by a recognized medical specialty board, failed to reveal past medical malpractice lawsuits and failed to report disputes at previous hospitals where he worked. Yikes!
