Grenier v. Stamford Hosp. – Sept. 2015 (Summary)

EMTALA

Grenier v. Stamford Hosp., Civil Action No. 3:14-cv-0970 (VLB) (D. Conn. Sept. 29, 2015)

The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut denied a hospital’s motion to dismiss failure to screen and failure to stabilize claims, under EMTALA.

A patient was brought to a hospital’s emergency department and was heavily intoxicated. Later, she was discharged after she sobered up. Minutes later, she was readmitted because the staff noticed she was stumbling and walking with an unsteady gait. The patient continued to have difficulty speaking and walking, however no diagnostic tests or treatments were administered. Eventually, it was discovered that the patient had a stroke, but by the time it was diagnosed she could not be revived.

The court did not dismiss the failure to screen claim because it fairly alleged that the various testing and screening done by the hospital deviated from the type of examination normally performed. Also, the court did not dismiss the failure to stabilize claim because there were stark differences between the medical entries claiming she was alert and observations stating she was stumbling.