Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Claims Wrongful Death

A Cincinnati-based obstetrician and gynecologist has settled a medical malpractice lawsuit brought against him by an Ohio widower in the wrongful death of his wife. Scott Stewart filed the medical malpractice lawsuit in 2012 against Dr. Kurt Froehlich. Mr. Stewart learned that the doctor prescribed his late wife, Summer, a diet of only 500 calories a day. Dr. Froehlich allegedly prescribed the diet, well below the standard 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day for the average American, after Mrs. Stewart had asked him about the best way to lose weight.

Details of the Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Mrs. Stewart, a 30-year-old mother of two, had consulted with Dr. Froehlich about how she could lose 15 pounds after the birth of her second child. According to court documents filed with the medical malpractice lawsuit, the doctor placed her on a diet so restrictive that she only at 500 calories a day. Less than two weeks later, Mr. Stewart found his wife unconscious and unresponsive. The medical malpractice lawsuit claims that Dr. Froehlich’s diet led to Mrs. Stewart’s untimely death.

Sexual Harassment and Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

The wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuit has not been Dr. Froehlich’s only encounter with the legal system. A local newspaper report uncovered evidence that the doctor had been fired from his previous position in 2012 for sexual harassment. Dr. Froehlich had reportedly fondled patients and at least one staff member during his time at TriHealth Hospital in Cincinnati. When he opened a clinic near the hospital, TriHealth attorneys filed an injunction to have it shut down.

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Leads To License Revocation

As a result of the firing, harassment and medical malpractice lawsuit, the State Medical Board of Ohio issued a permanent revocation on Dr. Froehlich’s medical license in February 2015. The state still allows him to see patients, as long as he is not alone in the same room with them, while he appeals the revocation. Investigations by the State Medical Board can often take months or years to complete, according to the attorney who represented Mr. Stewart in his medical malpractice lawsuit.

“Sunshine Laws” Hurt Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

One of the reasons that patients may not be aware of medical malpractice lawsuits and other complaints against physicians comes from Ohio’s “Sunshine Laws.” These laws prohibit the public disclosure of complaints against physicians. The premise behind the laws is that the confidentiality allows hospitals to evaluate physicians without threat of legal repercussions. However, these laws can prevent patients who wish to file a medical malpractice lawsuit from learning about complaints from a physician’s colleagues, especially if that doctor has a poor track record.

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

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