F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 7
The Legal Burden of Workplace Bullying
Staff-on-staff hostility puts your facility at risk for litigation.
Legal Update
Angela T. Burnette, Esq., Rebecca Kennedy, Esq., and Genta Iwasaki
T
he healthcare workplace hinges on effective collaboration, team-
work and communication. Workplace bullying represents a
direct threat to all three. Besides damaging relationships, bully-
ing can also impact patient care and trigger litigation.
In 2008, a perfusionist won a $325,000 verdict against a surgeon who
allegedly balled his hand into a fist and pinned the perfusionist against a
wall after an argument in the operating room. The surgeon then alleged-
ly walked away while yelling, "You're over. You're history. You're fin-
ished." The perfusionist sued the surgeon, asserting intentional infliction
of emotional distress and assault. The jury awarded the perfusionist
$325,000 for the assault claim, and an appeals court rejected the sur-
• PICKING ON THEIR OWN Women bullies target other women 68% of the time, according to a 2014 Workplace Bullying Institute survey.
Amy
Dragoo