Sept 9 (Askume) – Yale University has reached a settlement with 95 patients at its fertility clinic who were treated without painkillers after a nurse self-administered fentanyl, the plaintiffs announced on Monday.
The terms of the settlement, which have not been disclosed, include 154 plaintiffs, some of whom are partners of patients who alleged shoddy systems for monitoring controlled substances were in place at the Yale Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Clinic in Orange, Connecticut, in multiple lawsuits filed. The clinic accused of possession of controlled substances. As a result, they said, a nurse was able to systematically replace the painkiller fentanyl with a saline solution.
Lawyers said Yale has agreed to pay “substantial damages” but did not disclose the amount.
In a statement, the university said it had taken new steps to avoid future disruptions, including increasing training and supervision of staff.
“We will continue to do everything possible to ensure our patients and staff are heard and provided with the strongest safety measures possible,” the statement said.
The plaintiffs say Yale initially ignored numerous complaints from patients about unbearable pain during in vitro fertilization egg retrievals until an employee noticed a loose cap on a fentanyl vial and acknowledged the problem.
“Our clients come to this clinic at the most vulnerable time of their lives, expecting that their healthcare providers will listen to them and believe them,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Kelly Fitzpatrick, Koskoff & Beider. “Instead, their complaints of unbearable pain were repeatedly dismissed and they were gaslighted.”
The misdeed eventually came to light through a criminal investigation, which led to NAS pleading guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product in 2021. Investigators said saline was added to about 75% of the fentanyl given to patients between June and October 2020, but plaintiffs in the lawsuit said the diversion occurred over a longer period of time.
Egg retrieval is an invasive procedure that is typically performed with pain medication.
Nurse Donna Monticone was sentenced to three months’ house arrest.
The case gained national attention through a 2023 New York Times podcast series.
