'Lord' Boustany has been sued for medical malpractice by eight patients.

[democracy1st]

Did You Wonder Why 'Lord' Boustany Gave The Republican Rebuttal? Maybe Because He's Been Sued For Malpractice So Many Times.



His plan for reinvigorating the economy of his district is known as the Prescription for Prosperity. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC reports he attempted to purchase a "Lordship Title" from British scam artists.)


I think "Doctor" Boustany (as he prefers to be called) is an interesting choice for the GOP rebuttal. After all, not only does he seem to enjoy seeking legal redress for some colorful problems, he's also been the defendant in at least eight malpractice suits. From the DCCC:

Congressman Charles Boustany’s more colorful lawsuits suing con artists who told him he could become a British Lord and suing a construction company for “mental anguish” over a pool resurfacing job shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Boustany has been sued for medical malpractice by eight patients.

Boustany was found at fault by the Louisiana Medical Review Panel twice – including a two-year old child Boustany performed an unnecessary and debilitating heart operation on and a woman whose right leg was amputated as the result of complications from surgery – and patients were awarded damages totaling nearly $2 million.

Since 1992, Boustany has been sued for malpractice by eight separate patients. Boustany was found in fault by the state Medical Review Panel.

Boustany was sued for medical malpractice for surgery performed on a child and found in fault by the state medical review board. The plaintiff received $600,000 in compensation as a result.


Melanie Malagarie sued Boustany for medical malpractice stemming from surgery performed on her young daughter, Leonette. When Leonette was an infant she underwent heart surgery for a condition called Tetrology of Falot. The surgery was described as being a “good result,” according to court documents. Shortly before Leonette turned three, Boustany recommended surgery described as a “complete repair of Tetrology of Falot.”

After surgery, Leonette was reported to have suffered multiple severe damages including acute renal failure, acute respiratory failure and evidence of post-operative infections.

In 1992, the court dismissed the case because Malagarie failed to file a complaint with the state’s medical board.

Two years later, she submitted the case to Medical Review Panel, which found in her favor. The case was later dismissed after the parties settled the matter, awarding Malagarie $600,000 in compensation. Boustany’s insurer offered her $100,000 on his behalf and the Louisiana Patient’s Compensation Fund provided the other $500,000. (Melanie Malagarie v. Dr. Charles Boustany, Dr. Shannon Turney, Dr. Geeta Dalal, Lafayette General Hospital et. al, Case No: 92-5260, 15th Judicial District Court Parish of Lafayette)

Boustany was sued for medical malpractice after a cardiac operation he performed resulted in the patient requiring her leg to be amputated. According to the state medical review board, Boustany fell below the standard of care in treating the patient, who was later awarded more than $1.2 million in damages.

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[JenniferJuniper]

1. As someone who has been involved

with defending malpractice claims for many years, I can confirm that the number of suits and judgments/settlements is extraordinarily high.

I do hope the good lord is not still practicing.

[joeglow3]

10. A friend of mine has been sued more than 8 times for malpractice

Of course, he has not lost any of them. However, as an OB/GYN, whenever something bad happens with a birth, you can almost guarantee every medical employee who walked into that room during the delivery will be sued.

The best was a middle Eastern lady who gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Afterwards, the mother would not stop bleeding, so they had to do an emergency hysterectomy. As this was their first child and she could no longer have a male child, they sued (and that was actually their complaint). Surprisingly, not a single attorney would even take the case, so it was dropped.

[JenniferJuniper]

15. OB/GYN is a whole different ball game.

Labor doesn't always go well and babies aren't always born perfect. Suits follow. It's not unusual for an obstetrician to have multiple suits filed against him or her. As a patient, you want to pay attention to the settlements and the judgments, not just the suits that have been filed.

With that said, this fellow sounds like a bad surgeon. Insurance companies don't pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars unless something very wrong likely happened.

[Jennicut]

2. Rethugs should not become doctors...just saying.

They don't really care about others.

[beac]

3. They also seem to have a BIG problem with that "First, do no harm" thing. n/t

[lbrtbell]

4. But sadly, most doctors are Republicans

That's why they're so unsympathetic toward their patients.

[Skidmore]

5. So why is this person being put out there as some sort of expert

on healthcare? Seems that he's part of the problem.

[The Magistrate]

6. So The Question, Sir, is This: Why Does He Still Have a Medical License?

Consigning people with a record like this to flipping burgers for life would do far more than any proposed 'tort reform' would to lessening malpractice payouts and premiums....

[Vinca]

7. How on earth do you have heart surgery and end up minus a leg?

I wouldn't let this character near my cat.

[tanyev]

8. K & R

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

9. Tort Reform - A Modest Proposal

We put caps on pain and suffering, but with a price.

First Settlement/Judgment: No Impact (everybody is entitled to a mistake)

Second Settlement/Judgment: One Year Probation (prescriptions and procedures receive an automatic second opinion. Invasive procedures require oversight by another physician)

Third Settlement/Judgment: One Year Ban on all patient services. Two Year Probation after that.

Fourth Settlement/Judgment: Lifetime ban on all patient services (i.e., you're doing laboratory medicine for the rest of your career).

Just a little food for thought.

Edit: When I say "No Impact" after the first settlement, that doesn't mean they don't pay the patient for pain and suffering (they do), there's just no professional consequences.

[Ilsa]

11. I think "no impact" for your first and second judgments depends on

the reason and nature of the malpractice and damages. If a doctor shows up to work under the influence of meds or alcohol, the professional fix needs to kick in right away. And don't think it doesn't happen.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

13. I agree completely...

An error in medical judgment or procedure is one thing. Criminal behavior is anothing thing altogether. One and you're done.

[nc4bo]

12. The information should also be made public.

Bad enough "tort reform" seems little more than a slap on the wrist after the first 2 shots of devastating someone's life.

Just my (admittedly ignorant to the way these things work) point of view.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. National database....

My problem with most tort reform is that there's no accountability on the side of the medical provider. The list of physicians thrown out of the professional by state licensing boards is astonishingly small.