The Redlands Community Hospital (RCH) in San Bernadino and Kaiser Permanente in Riverside are the latest medical centers to be sued over the use of Remdesivir in treating COVID-19 patients.
In Evangeline Ortega v. Redlands Community Hospital (RCH), Evangeline Ortega alleges her 65-year-old husband, Armando, died after he was administered Remdesivir without being told that RCH would allegedly receive a financial bonus.
“The financial bonus to RCH was of personal economic interest to physicians working at RCH’s facility and affected their professional judgment,” wrote attorney Matthew Tyson in the June 27 lawsuit filed in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Briones funeral
| Christina Briones
Ortega, whose healthcare was covered by Medicaid, suffered kidney failure, multiple organ failure, and eventually death.
The lawsuit states that Ortega’s risk of death dramatically changed for the worse by 3,000% when RCH physicians and staff failed to disclose, to Armando or Evangeline, the risks associated with Remdesivir.
The manufacturer of Remdesivir, Gilead Sciences, did not respond to requests for comment.
“We expect discovery will reveal that substantial financial bonuses were paid to the hospital that treated Armando because of his coverage and that those bonuses were triggered by labeling Armando as COVID-positive, admitting him for COVID, administering Remdesivir, placing Armando on a ventilator, and labeling his death as caused by COVID,” Tyson said.
In another Remdesivir lawsuit litigated by Tyson and attorney Bryan Garrie, Rodney Briones was allegedly treated with Remdesivir at Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19 twice but without informed consent, according to a complaint filed by his widow, Christina Briones.
“Kaiser contends that the Briones case must go to arbitration, and we are in the process of resolving that issue,” Tyson told the Southern California Record.
Rodney Briones was only 50 years old when his kidneys began to fail and he was subsequently placed on a ventilator. During this time, Kaiser Riverside reportedly refused to allow his wife or family to see him. He died on Sept. 12.
“My husband was murdered because of government b.s.,” Christina Briones said. “I never thought this could happen.”
The Remdesivir widow has organized a protest that is scheduled to take place in front of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Riverside on Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. and later at 1 p.m. in front of Corona Regional Medical Center in Corona.
"We have collected about 200 pictures of victims' loved ones to put on poster boards to honor them," Briones told the Southern California Record.
Tyson and Garrie pioneered Remdesivir wrongful death litigation using a constructive fraud cause of action.
"We filed the very first Remdesivir wrongful death lawsuit in the country in June for Evangeline Ortega,” Tyson added.
Neither Kaiser Permanente Riverside nor RCH responded to requests for comment.