A former physician acquitted in the death of 14 patients is suing Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health for malicious prosecution, according to court documents obtained by Becker's.
William Husel, a former intensive care physician at Trinity's Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio, filed the suit April 12.
In December 2018, Dr. Husel was fired from Mount Carmel and accused of ordering potentially fatal painkiller doses for 14 near-death patients. Although Mount Carmel's investigation into the patient deaths "uncovered no indication whatsoever that Dr. Husel intended to hasten death or do anything other than make the dying process easier for his patients," the health system continued to report the deaths as "a series of tragic crimes" to the county prosecutor, patients' families and the media, the suit claims.
Dr. Husel was indicted on 25 counts of intentional murder in June 2019. In January 2022, the prosecution dismissed 11 charges, and a jury found him not guilty of the remaining 14 in April 2022. He surrendered his medical license shortly after the criminal trial.
"The responsible individuals at Trinity had no basis to tell the prosecutor and the public that Dr. Husel had caused anyone any harm, much less that he had intentionally done so," the lawsuit reads. "They could have corrected the misstatements at any time before the indictment — or even after his acquittal — but they did not."
Dr. Husel is seeking $20 million in damages from Trinity Health, which has denied the allegations.
"The allegations are unfounded, and we will address the matter as appropriate through the legal process," a spokesperson for Trinity Health told Becker's. "As this is an active lawsuit, we have no further comment."