Asante Medical facing $488M in lawsuits after fentanyl diversion linked to 16 deaths

Asante Rogue Medical Center in Oregon is facing over $488 million in lawsuits related to a drug diversion case in which a nurse allegedly replaced intravenous pain medications with tap water. This led to multiple infections, resulting in the deaths of 16 patients.

To date, 23 parties have filed lawsuits against Asante. The largest legal filing represents 18 of them, seeking nearly $338 million in damages. The most recent filing—representing three patients who lost their lives—seeks $22.45 million in restitution.

This filing entered the Jackson County court record last week, where the plaintiffs argued that similar drug diversion incidents occurred in 2016 and 2017, demonstrating a pattern of negligence by Asante.

It is unclear whether all pending filings will be consolidated into a class-action lawsuit or if victims will pursue individual judgments in their cases.

The public news service Northwest News Network has followed the story. For their coverage, they spoke with a healthcare finance expert who stated that losing these unprecedented malpractice lawsuits would be a significant financial blow to Asante. However, any judgment for the victims is unlikely to have a major impact on Asante's business. 

The for-profit healthcare system earned over $1 billion in revenue last year alone, according to the report.

The nurse responsible for replacing vials of fentanyl with tap water, Dani Marie Schofield, has been charged with 44 counts of second-degree assault for the incidents that took place between July 2022 and July 2023.

If convicted, she faces a minimum sentence of 70 months—but could spend the rest of her life in prison. 

Schofield is currently out on a $4 million bond, and her trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 30.

Read the full story from Northwest News Network at the link below.