For victims, settlement marks a step in recovery

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By JULIET LINDERMAN

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maria Lennon said she felt some relief when she heard the news Friday afternoon: A judge had finalized a $190 million settlement between Johns Hopkins Hospital and more than 8,000 patients of a gynecologist who used tiny cameras to secretly photograph women and girls during examinations.

Lennon had visited that gynecologist, Dr. Nikita Levy, for 15 years, and could receive some of the money. But for Lennon and many others, no monetary award can erase the ongoing shock, grief and fear.

"I feel vindicated," Lennon said Friday. "But my nightmares aren't going to go away."

Levy was fired from Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore in February 2013, after a female co-worker spotted the pen-like camera he wore around his neck and alerted authorities to her suspicions that he was using it to record his patients. Levy committed suicide days later, following a raid on his home that uncovered roughly 1,200 videos and 140 images stored on his home computers. No criminal charges were filed, after authorities determined that Levy did not share or distribute the images.

FULL story at link.



FILE - This July 8, 2014, file photo, shows the East Baltimore Medical Center, a community practice affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore. A Baltimore judge has approved a $190 million settlement between Johns Hopkins Hospital and more than 8,000 patients of a gynecologist who used tiny cameras to secretly photograph women and girls during examinations. The settlement was reached in July between the renowned hospital and former patients of Dr. Nikita Levy. Judge Sylvester B. Cox approved the agreement on Friday, Sept. 19. (AP Photo/File)


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140920/us--gynecologist-secret_recordings-9414da9205.html

[Archae]

1. $24,000? (About) Per person?

I realize that pervert killed himself, but can't his estate be sued also?

(Unless he doesn't have any)

[dotymed]

2. Well

at least the lawyer(s) made millions...

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. An individual doctor isn't worth all that much, especially one at a university hospital.

Unless they were already independently wealthy from an inheritance or other business.

Consider how many victims were here.

The deepest pockets here by far are Johns Hopkins University and that is where the bulk of the settlement has come from, I'm sure.

I'm pretty sure I don't know any doctors who are worth anywhere near 190 million, the amount of the settlement with JHU mentioned in the article.

I would be very surprised if I knew more than a tiny few worth 10 million or more, if any.

So, uh, yeah, 8 thousand victims going after a doctor's estate after getting 190 million in settlement from the huge university that employed him is like trying to get blood from the proverbial stone. I'm going to guess that the judgment has probably already tapped out the maximum of what they can get from the doctor's estate.

[yourmovemonkey]

4. If the law firm gets the usual 33%

That leaves only $15,750 for each of the 8000 victims.

[happyslug]

5. This is a class action - Attorney fees are separate

In a class action the attorneys get a lump sum and each victim gets the full amount stated. The lump sum is a separate part of the settlement.

In the article it is clearly a class action. The attorneys gave asked for 35%, but that will be decided next month. 8000 to 9000 potential victims have signed up. Once the judge rules on the issue of attorney fees, then we can see how much each woman will get.

I do not see the judge awarding attorneys fee of 70 million unless there lawyers did a lot of work on the case and can show the work it did. 10 to 20 million I can see again if they did the work not just filed the lawsuit.

[happyslug]

6. Yes his estate can be sued but not his wife.

And most married people own their property jointly thus it can not be touched UNLESS you get a judgement against the wife.

Given his wife, if he had one, would not gave known of this, she would have been innocent of this action and gets to keep all marital property.

You go after the employer in such cases for they have the money to pay off any judgement.