More transgender patients have reportedly joined the class action suit against Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) after it alerted patients their medical records were given to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti as part of an investigation into inflated billing practices.
According to attorney Tricia Herzfeld (pictured above), who revealed new details about the legal action to WKRN on Thursday, there are now two class action lawsuits against VUMC.
In the first lawsuit, VUMC is accused of violating federal law and internal policy by releasing the information to Skrmetti. The attorney general asked for the information while investigating the billing practices of the VUMC transgender program, which he later clarified is specifically related to VUMC and its vendors, but not the patients.
Skrmetti’s office ultimately received records from about 100 patients. A spokesman from Skrmetti’s office suggested the hospital “deliberately” worked “to frighten its patients” with its claims.
“We are surprised that VUMC has deliberately chosen to frighten its patients like this,” said Skrmetti’s spokesman last year.
The spokesman explained, “The Office of the Tennessee Attorney General has been investigating potential medical billing fraud by VUMC and certain related providers since September 2022. VUMC began providing patient records to the Office in December 2022.”
The second lawsuit, Herzfeld explained to WKRN, came after VUMC incorrectly told a greater number of its patients that its records were given to the attorney general.
“Our focus right now is on Vanderbilt’s duty to its patients. It had a duty to let its patients know this was going on, and to protect that information, and they didn’t do it,” Herzfeld told WKRN.
VUMC told the outlet, “No new claims have been presented in this lawsuit. We continue to maintain that VUMC acted appropriately and in accordance with state and federal law.”
In addition to the lawsuits, VUMC was additionally accused of having “betrayed” its patients by giving the information to Skrmetti in a report released by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
The lawsuits against VUMC expand as The Tennessee Star continues to report the contents of police document which reveal Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale was a 22-year mental health patient at the hospital.
Additional reporting by The Star reveals Hale was referred for commitment at VUMC in 2019, but ultimately participated in an outpatient program, and continued to receive treatment from VUMC until her March 27, 2023 attack on the school.
It is also clear that Hale began identifying as a transgender man sometime after her 25th birthday in March 2020. Hale repeatedly referred to her gender identity and used the name Aiden in a journal, obtained by The Star, which was recovered from her vehicle by police.
Both Star News Digital Media, Inc., which owns and operates The Star, and editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy are plaintiffs in the lawsuits which seek the full release of Hale’s written materials from both Metro Nashville Police Department and the FBI.
Earlier this month, The Star published an FBI memo that “strongly” advised against releasing “legacy tokens” from killers like Hale. Both the documents obtained by The Star and those sought in the lawsuits appear to be considered “legacy tokens” unfit for publication.
The FBI declined to confirm it sent the memo in a statement to The Star, but confirmed it sends such “products” to local law enforcement.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tricia Herzfeld” by HSGLaW.
FINALLY
SOME ACCOUNTABILITY
PLEASE AG SKRMETTI PROSECUTE THESE ANIMALS
They are sterilizing children
Ruining their futures & the future of this country.
Had these patients been Trump supports, little Ms. Litigator would have never pursued legal action. Funny how the supposed legal system works. Such is the transgender industrial complex. EVERYONE can make a buck off of it now.