A jury has awarded $27.5 million to the former chief nursing officer of St. Mary Medical Center Long Beach (Calif.) in a retaliation lawsuit.
Here’s what to know:
1. Nancy Valla, BSN, RN, was appointed CNO at the hospital in 2018. St. Mary is part of Dignity Health and Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.
2. Issues arose in 2019 after a man jumped from the hospital’s parking structure and died. This was the second suicide death that had occurred at the facility that involved the parking structure. Ms. Valla urged hospital officials to install a barrier or fencing on the structure to prevent future deaths, but the lawsuit alleged she was “dismissed and disregarded” by the COO and CEO.
In a Sept. 4, 2023, statement, Christina Zicklin, a spokesperson for St. Mary Medical Center, said the hospital self-reported both events to the health department. After inspections, the department “found no deficiencies with the parking structures” and that the hospital was “in compliance with all applicable rules, ordinances and code.” The hospital was never advised by any city or state agency to construct barriers.
3. Trial testimony showed that Ms. Valla also reported multiple other patient safety issues, including anesthesia machines and defibrillators that were being used past the manufacturer’s stated end of life. She alleges that hospital leadership refused to replace the equipment due to budget concerns and that leadership retaliated against her, the Long Beach Business Journal reported June 27.
4. In May 2019, Ms. Valla went on medical leave to seek treatment for a mental health condition. The lawsuit alleged that she was not given a protected leave of absence and that while she was gone, leadership replaced her with the intent of blocking her reinstatement. Ms. Valla was still employed by the hospital when she filed her lawsuit in August 2020.
Ms. Zicklin told Becker’s in 2023 that Ms. Valla was not fired and that she did not return after her medical leave.
5. After a five week trial, the jury found that the hospital and its parent company had unlawfully retaliated against Ms. Valla, and had failed to accommodate her disability, in violation of California law. They awarded her $27.5 million.
