Whistleblower Wins $2.1M in Case Against Bayonne Medical Center

A former employee at Bayonne (N.J.) Medical Center will receive more than $2.1 million after suing the hospital under the state's whistleblower law, according to a Jersey Journal report.

Ceferino Doculan worked at BMC for more than 20 years. In 2010, when he was a technician in the hospital's blood bank, the hospital assigned him a new supervisor, but Mr. Doculan believed the individual had improper credentials for the position.

He complained about improper staffing and filed a complaint with the state over the matter. The state found Mr. Doculan's supervisor was not qualified, and the supervisor was transferred out of her position, according to the report. But Mr. Doculan was then disciplined three times for alleged errors in his paperwork, once for being insubordinate, and was later fired from the hospital.

Mr. Doculan claimed the hospital fired him over his protected complaint, whereas the hospital contended he deserved to be fired, according to the report. The jury sided with Mr. Doculan, and he will receive $2 million in punitive damages, $80,000 in lost wages and $60,000 for pain and suffering, according to the report.

More Articles on Hospital Whistleblower Lawsuits:

Stark Law, False Claims and HIPAA: Key Risk Areas for Hospitals
20 Recent Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Hospitals
DOJ Breaks Record for Healthcare Recoveries Under False Claims Act

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