Stephanie Urbanek Secures Dismissal of Claims of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress for Healthcare Client

October 2021

BCS partner Stephanie Urbanek recently obtained a dismissal of claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress for a healthcare client.

In this high-profile case, an individual claimed to be someone she was not and made medical decisions for a patient despite having no legal authority to do so. The plaintiff, who did have legal authority to make medical decisions on behalf of the patient, sued the hospital and members of the healthcare team. The plaintiff claimed that the hospital’s actions deprived him of valuable time with the now-deceased patient, intentionally causing him significant emotional distress.

The hospital denied all allegations and highlighted the fact that they were not made aware that the individual making the medical decisions did not have the authority to do so; the hospital and healthcare staff did not have any means of knowing that this individual had no familial or legal relationship with the patient.

The court recognized that the defendants did not have any reason to know of the plaintiff’s existence and, therefore, could not have intentionally caused the plaintiff emotional distress. For this reason, the court ruled in favor of the hospital and physicians and dismissed the plaintiff’s claims.

Stephanie’s practice is concentrated in the defense of physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers against claims of medical negligence. With her specific focus on medical malpractice defense in litigation matters, Stephanie is adept to serve clients throughout all of the challenges of their cases.