Plaintiff: Cynthia Johnson
Defendants: UVA Health System, Commonwealth of Virginia, Dr. Kenneth Greer and John Termini
Court: Charlottesville Circuit Court
What’s at issue: Whether the dermatology doctor is responsible for injuries allegedly inflicted by a student under his watch. On August 10, 2004, the plaintiff was a patient of Greer’s when Termini—a Louisiana State student who was at UVA on a one-month rotation—pulled a spotlight toward Johnson, “causing it to fall upon the plaintiff’s head, rendering the plaintiff unconscious and damaging her nose,” according to the complaint.
 A woman is suing the UVA Health System for a medical school student’s alleged mistake. |
What’s at stake: $50,000. Plaintiff claims she suffered serious and permanent injury and was prevented from transacting her normal duties. Johnson also says she has and will continue to suffer “great pain of body and mind.”
What’s the status: The suit was filed in Salem Circuit Court in August 2006, but only Greer was served. The doctor asserted that he is immune from personal liability under the doctrine of sovereign immunity and filed a motion to dismiss. That was denied after a ruling by the state Supreme Court, which found that the UVA Health Services Foundation doesn’t qualify for charitable immunity because it doesn’t operate like a charity. On March 7, the case was moved to Charlottesville.
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