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| A nurse tends to her patient in a neo-natal care unit. |
A United States court awarded $41.49 million to a Filipino American nurse for wrongful termination.
Maria Gatchalian was fired in retaliation for reporting unsafe staffing levels and poor patient care in the NICU at Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center, according to court documents.
“Maria had the courage to speak up about patient safety but Kaiser tried to silence her,” said Gatchalian's attorney David deRubertis in a statement “This diligent jury spoke in a loud and clear voice telling Kaiser that it needs to put patients over profits. We hope this verdict will get Kaiser to focus more on patient safety and quality of care and less on the business of medicine.”
Gatchalian worked at Woodland Hills Kaiser Permanente Hospital from 1989 to 2019. She was promoted to charge nurse for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit charge in 2006.
According to the suit filed in April 2021, Gatchalian repeatedly repeated her concerns to management about quality of care and patient safety, mostly stemming from Kaiser’s alleged understaffing. Multiple witnesses said during trial that the facility was undermanned.
When no action was taken to remedy the situation. Gatchalian continued to report the problems up the normal chain of command but was met with retaliation and hostility instead of support.
The Los Angeles Superior Court jury unanimously decided in favor of the plaintiff on Dec. 10.
"We stand by her termination and are surprised and disappointed in the verdict," Murtaza Sanwari, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills/West Ventura County, told Becker's Hospital Review in a statement. "Kaiser Permanente plans to appeal this decision and will maintain our high standards in protecting the health and safety of all our patients."
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