Doctors and hospitals in the US are increasingly suing patients because of negative feedback.

US Air Force Colonel David Antun agreed to pay 100 dollars for settling a lawsuit against him for writing comments on the Internet, criticizing doctors, and also published a list of urological procedures that he experienced 10 years ago and which, in his opinion, led to the development of urinary incontinence and impotence.

Фото: Depositphotos

After the claim by the urologist, the man was threatened with imprisonment for a period of up to one year, writes USA Today.

The 10-summer standoff of Antun, the Cleveland Clinic and its urologist is unusual in its duration and intensity, and also because the urologist Jihad Kauk managed to convince the police and prosecutors to defend his interests in the conflict.

And this is not the only case in the medical community where doctors and hospitals aggressively struggle with negative messages and posts about them on social networks, challenging one of the few ways patients can monitor their work.

Among recent cases:

• Cleveland physician Bachman Guyuron sued the former patient for publishing negative reviews on Yelp and other sites about nose surgery, laser treatments and other procedures. Guyuron's lawyer, Steve Friedman, says that although the first amendment protects patients' rights to express their opinions, “our position is that she did much more than just share her opinion, deliberately publishing false statements.” The case is scheduled for early August.
• Jazz singer Sherry Petta used her own website and portals to evaluate doctors to post criticism about the clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in particular, the complaint was about nose surgery and laser procedures. Her doctors, Albert Carlotti and Michel Cabre-Carlotti, sued for defamation. They won the court of first instance, seizing compensation in the amount of 12 million dollars, the appellate court overturned this decision.
• A Michigan hospital sued two daughters and a granddaughter of an elderly patient for posting on Facebook and for a picket in front of the hospital, because, according to them, the patient at the institution was ill treated. The health facility has sued women for defamation and interference with privacy.

Lawyer Ryan Lorenz, who represented both consumers and hospitals in such cases, said that consumers are allowed to share their opinions online, if they do not affect the actual points. In addition, the commentator is better to make sure that everything he wrote is true, and not his distorted impression of something.

Experts say doctors are at increased risk when they go to court with a patient. Doctors usually cannot sue third-party comment-based websites, such as Yelp, but they can sue patients for their feedback.

According to Eric Goldman, a professor at the Law School of the University of Santa Clara, winning in such a case can still be a loss to the doctor. But according to him, more often in such cases, the court still stands on the side of patients.

According to Goldman, confidentiality rules, which should be accompanied by communication between a doctor and a patient, complicate such legal proceedings for doctors, but if a patient is ready to refuse confidentiality, then doctors can often motivate their decision.

Many medical sites, where comments are allowed, often remove messages that they consider offensive or threatening to doctors. Therefore, such comments are mainly found on non-core sites. For example, Yelp deletes posts only if they violate the conditions of the site.

However, lawyers advise not to rush to reviews online. Patients should first complain directly to a doctor or other medical professional. Other options may include a complaint against a doctor in state supervisory bodies, consultation with a lawyer or going to court.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Six ways to cut your medical bill in the US

22 medical services that are available for free with Medicare

Where to buy affordable drugs in the US

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.