Doctor wins almost $2M in lawsuit against ProMedica

A jury has awarded a retired obstetrician almost $2 million after finding that the ProMedica Health System broke a contract by revoking his practicing privileges.

Paul Byrnes, M.D., of Adrian, Michigan, sued the Toledo-based ProMedica in 2015 after the healthcare system revoked his privileges at Bixby Hospital, according to the Daily Telegram News. The jury also found ProMedica and a nurse manager at the hospital’s obstetrics unit defamed Byrnes.

Byrnes lost his privileges to practice at Bixby Hospital in January 2015, after 25 years of medical practice there. He announced his retirement and the closing of his office in May 2015 and filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination, defamation and interference in his business.

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The suspension of his privileges came after the nurse manager sent an email to her supervisors about Byrnes. That email came right after a 2015 staff meeting in which she said other nurses told her they were afraid that Byrnes would shoot them following an alleged incident in late 2014.

Bixby’s medical executive committee suspended Byrnes shortly after and then eventually suspended his privileges permanently.