UMC Physician Network Servs. v. Leins — May 2016 (Summary)

PHYSICIAN CONTRACT TERMINATION

UMC Physician Network Servs. v. Leins
No. 07-14-00254-CV (Tex. App. May 2, 2016)

The Court of appeals of Texas affirmed in part a lower court’s ruling  upholding a jury verdict in favor of a physician who alleged breach of physician grievance procedures. The court also reversed in part the lower court’s ruling awarding recovery of $100,000 in future damages.

This litigation arose from a physician whistleblower who alleged that he was terminated in a manner that violated the physician grievance procedures because the termination was undertaken without proper notice and the physician was not given the chance to appeal in front of a committee. The court determined that the physician was entitled to $9,000 in damages to recover lost income, benefits, and other expenses sustained in the past.

The court of appeals reversed the lower court’s judgment that the physician was entitled to $100,000 in future damages. It reasoned that the physician failed to establish causation between the medical center’s breach and any future damages.