Doctors Sue Google Over Bad Reviews; $425K Stolen From UPMC? Doc's Alleged Sex Crime

— A weekly roundup of healthcare's encounters with the courts

by Kristina Fiore, Director of Enterprise & Investigative Reporting, MedPage Today

MedpageToday
Legal Break over a blindfolded Lady Justice statue holding scales.

Doctors in Japan have sued Google over bad reviews. (Japan Times)

A pharmacy employee at UPMC Presbyterian has been accused of stealing more than $425,000 from the hospital. (Trib Live)

Retired Navy doctor Bruce Coval Meneley, MD, was shot and killed at a Seattle hotel, where he was under suspicion of child sex crimes. When Seattle police came out of a hotel room to confront Meneley, he appeared to pull a gun from his jacket, according to reports. (FOX 13)

Kentucky physician Stephanie Russell, MD, pleaded guilty to hiring a hit man to kill her ex-husband, avoiding a trial. (WDRB)

Sarah Kathleen Cumbest Mullican, MD, the Alabama anesthesiologist charged in the traffic crash that killed her 10-year-old daughter as she was allegedly fleeing police, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. (AL.com)

Ohio doctor Steven Werling, DO, was released from federal custody after being arrested on weapons charges. Investigators reportedly had found explosive components and devices at his home. (WHIO)

Oregon physician Dennis Lippert, MD, was arrested for allegedly raping his now 12-year-old daughter in 2015. (Willamette Week)

Missouri doctor Louis Phillip Krenn, Jr., MD, faces sex crime charges around an alleged inappropriate relationship with a school student. (KY3)

West Virginia physician David Elwood Hess, MD, was found guilty of doling out prescriptions for amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall) without legitimate medical need, according to federal prosecutors.

A nurse who was assaulted by a psychiatric patient at Rhode Island Hospital last year is suing the hospital's security company for allegedly failing to prevent the attack and not intervening. (WJAR)

Seattle Children's Hospital won't have to turn over records pertaining to gender-affirming care provided to kids from Texas, settling a lawsuit the hospital brought after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) asked for such records. (AP)

Nine couples have sued a California fertility company for allegedly killing their embryos, but implanting them anyway. (People)

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    Kristina Fiore leads MedPage’s enterprise & investigative reporting team. She’s been a medical journalist for more than a decade and her work has been recognized by Barlett & Steele, AHCJ, SABEW, and others. Send story tips to k.fiore@medpagetoday.com. Follow