A West Virginia surgeon will get less than half the $25 million a jury awarded him in a defamation case earlier this year.
The Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) revoked privileges from R.E. Hamrick Jr., MD, when he decided to self-insure against malpractice liability. Within a few days, CAMC restored the privileges under court order, but Dr. Hamrick sued, charging that the suspension sullied his reputation.
In February, a circuit court jury awarded him $5 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages for the hospital's “fraudulent, malicious, and oppressive conduct.” Special Judge Joseph Alsop ruled the jury went too far and cut the total award to $10 million.