Oakwood Hospital not responsible for negligence of "network" doctor

This week, Oakwood Hospital was dismissed, after an appeal, from a malpractice claim arising out of the death of James Meredith. Meredith's Estate had argued that James believed his doctor, Ferris Zeni, was an agent of the Hospital because of his inclusion in the Hospital's website. The Court held, however, that since James was referred to Zeni by his own doctor and not by the hospital, and since the doctor-patient relationship between Zeni and James pre-existed his hospital care, James could not argue that he understood Zeni to be an agent of the Hospital. More than likely, the Meredith Estate wanted to include Oakwood either because Zeni carries low insurance policy limits, or because they thought jurors would be more comfortable giving a verdict against an institution, rather than an individual.