RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A lawsuit against Loma Linda University Health stemming from alleged improper disposal of hazardous waste and confidential medical records was settled after the provider agreed to pay $7.5 million in penalties and modify its procedures to meet compliance standards, prosecutors said today.
The pretrial settlement was reached in recent weeks between Loma Linda and the Riverside County and San Bernardino County district attorney’s offices. The agreement was formalized during a hearing in San Bernardino County Superior Court last month.
The civil action was initiated in April 2022 after an investigation revealed Loma Linda University Health Network staff had allegedly discarded “pharmaceutical waste, batteries, aerosol cans, medical waste and documents containing protected health information” in regular trash receptacles, bound for landfills, instead of in appropriate containers designed for hazardous waste, which state law requires, according to the plaintiffs…