INDIANA JUDGE REJECTS DEAL FOR MERRILLVILLE SURGEON FACING HUNDREDS OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAWSUITS
A federal judge in Hammond, Indiana did not accept a plea deal for the former northwest Indiana nose doctor charged with 22 counts of fraud and facing about 300 Medical Malpractice and Medical Negligence lawsuits. Merrillville's Mark Weinberger pled guilty in October to those health care fraud charges in exchange for four years in prison. Wednesday morning, an Indiana judge said that sentence wasn't tough enough.
As reported by the Chicago Tribune in the article, "Judge Rejects Plea Deal for Ex-Fugitive Doctor," many of Weinberger's former patients wrote to the judge asking him to reject the plea deal with prosecutors. The judge said those letters did not impact his ruling. This case could now go to trial.
Legal troubles are not new to Weinberger. The Chicago Tribune states the former Indiana doctor was recently convicted of Wrongful Death in a medical malpractice case where one of his former patients died of cancer after he did not diagnose it. Weinberger fled the country for about five years after that patient's death. Authorities captured him in 2009 in the Alps.
Indiana does have guidelines on how Medical Malpractice cases should be handled. They are outlined in the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act which is also known as the Indiana Compensation Act for Patients or INCAP. It contains five components: statute of limitations, limits on recovery, patient's compensation fund, medical review panel, and limit on attorney fees.
Experienced Indiana Medical Malpractice Lawyers are well-versed in all the components that make up the Indiana Compensation Act for Patients. Equally important, the Medical Negligence Lawyers at Crossen Kooi know how devastating a medical error can be for patients and their families. If you or someone you love is the victim of medical malpractice or medical negligence, contact the Indianapolis Personal Injury Attorneys for a FREE consultation.
