Radiology technician settles for $350K in harassment lawsuit
A radiology technician agreed to a $350,000 payout to terminate her lawsuit alleging a coworker consistently harassed her while she was employed at Oregon Health & Science University, according to the Lund Report.
Brandi Toscano was hired in 2012 as a student and moved to full time in 2014. She claimed that her coworker “wanted to go out with her” and harassed her for two years, cornering her in a closet and small exam rooms, and stalking her in a “threatening manner.” She was granted a protective order against the coworker who was then put on administrative leave.
At the time of the filing, Toscano was still employed at OHSU but has since resigned. She will receive $210,000 with the rest of the settlement going to her lawyers at Crispin Employment Law P.C. She initially sought $1 million in damages. The agreement states that OHSU’s payment is not an admission of guilt.
This is not the first time an employee has sued OHSU. A former cardiologist, Rupa Bala, filed suit against the institution in 2018 after she was reportedly subjected to consistent racial and sexual discrimination. That lawsuit remains in the U.S. District Court in Portland, according to the Lund Report.
OHSU also saw an “alarming” number of patient deaths in 2017 related to its heart transplant program, which ultimately “crumbled” the following year, the Oregonian reported last July. That program reportedly lost twice the number of patients analysts projected for that year, with 4 out of 10 treated individuals dying within the first month of their transplant. The organization has since reinstated its heart transplant services.
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.