Settlements reached in 8 civil suits against ex-doc, hospital

Former Dr. William Husel and his former employer, Mount Carmel Health System, have settled civil lawsuits with eight families who had accused them of negligence and medical malpractice when their loved ones died after being prescribed large doses of fentanyl by the former doctor.

Announced Thursday by the families’ law firm, Leesburg Tuttle, the settlements bring to a close the remainder of the 17 civil cases the Columbus law firm said it had filed on behalf of patients Husel oversaw and their families.

The settlement amounts are confidential, but will become public once filed and approved by the Franklin County Probate Court.

“The parties each had their own reasons to avoid the ongoing expense of the case and the risk of what might happen at trial,” said attorney Craig Tuttle. “Both parties had concerns that things could be worse at trial.”

Samantha Irons, a spokesperson for Mount Carmel, said in a statement that the hospital system has implemented “many changes that enhance how our team provides the highest quality of care.”

“There is nothing more important to us than our patients’ safety and their trust in us,” the statement read. “The steps we have taken — and continue to take — reflect this commitment. It is our hope these settlements will bring some measure of closure and comfort to the families.”

In April, Husel was acquitted in criminal court when a Franklin County jury found Husel not guilty on 14 counts of murder in connection with the death of patients in his care.

The seven-week-long trial centered on questions of how much fentanyl and other painkillers are too much for critically ill patients and whether a doctor can end the life of a patient who is about to die, even for compassionate reasons.

Husel’s defense had argued that his dosing practices were for comfort care only and that death for his critically ill patients was imminent.

Husel began working for Mount Carmel in 2013, serving as an intensive-care doctor. He was removed from treating patients on Nov. 21, 2018 and was fired Dec. 5, 2018 after a hospital employee expressed concerns about Husel in October 2018 and again in November 2018.

The civil suits filed by Leesburg Tuttle had argued that in addition to Husel being negligent in ordering large doses, Mount Carmel nurses, pharmacists, and administrators had been negligent as well in assisting and/or failing to prevent Husel’s conduct.

In a news release, Leesburg Tuttle said as a result of the litigation, Mount Carmel Health System has instituted numerous policies, procedures and safeguards designed to prevent future conduct like Husel’s.

The settlements bring to a close eight of the 10 civil suits that had been pending against the former doctor and Mount Carmel. The status of the remaining two was not immediately clear.

“Us, and more importantly our clients, these families, are glad to be at a point where they can get some closure and put this behind them,” Tuttle said. “It’s been a long process, especially drawn out by Covid, and the families are remarkably patient and resilient in continuing to fight this whole time rather than walking away from it or taking a lesser amount quicker to try to just be done.”