Oregon Hospital Faces $303M Lawsuit After Nurse Allegedly Replaces Fentanyl with Tap Water

Oregon hospital faces a $303M lawsuit after a nurse allegedly replaces fentanyl with tap water. Get the latest on this shocking legal case

Oregon Hospital Faces $303 Million Lawsuit After Nurse Allegedly Replaces Fentanyl with Tap Water

 

MEDFORD, Ore.  — Attorneys representing both living and deceased patients of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Oregon, have filed a $303 million lawsuit against the facility. The legal action comes in the wake of allegations that a nurse at the hospital replaced prescribed fentanyl with nonsterile tap water in intravenous drips, leading to severe infections and multiple deaths.

 

The wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit accuses the hospital of negligence, specifically citing a failure to properly monitor medication administration procedures and to prevent drug diversion by its employees. The suit was filed on behalf of 18 plaintiffs, which include nine surviving patients and the estates of nine deceased individuals.

 

A spokesperson for Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center declined to comment on the lawsuit.

 

The nurse at the center of the allegations, Dani Marie Schofield, was arrested in June and charged with 44 counts of second-degree assault. The charges are a result of a police investigation into the theft and misuse of controlled substances at the hospital, which allegedly led to bacterial infections in patients. Schofield has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is not named as a defendant in this particular lawsuit. A separate legal action was filed against both Schofield and the hospital earlier this year on behalf of the estate of a 65-year-old man who died.

 

According to the lawsuit, the hospital began notifying affected patients in December 2023 that an employee had substituted fentanyl with tap water, leading to bacterial infections. The complaint asserts that all the infected patients suffered from bacteria typically associated with waterborne transmission.

 

The lawsuit seeks substantial damages for medical expenses, lost income, and the pain and suffering endured by the plaintiffs, including those who died. The legal team behind the suit emphasizes that all plaintiffs experienced significant mental anguish as a result of the hospital’s alleged negligence.

 

The Medford police investigation into the case was initiated after hospital officials reported a suspicious increase in central line infections between July 2022 and July 2023, suspecting that an employee was diverting fentanyl. Fentanyl, while notorious for its role in the ongoing opioid crisis, is a critical medication used in medical settings to manage severe pain.

 

This lawsuit highlights the broader issue of drug theft within hospitals, a longstanding problem that can have devastating consequences for patient safety.