Dozens of women who endured extreme pain during fertility treatments at a Yale University clinic have settled lawsuits alleging that a nurse tampered with their medication by replacing a powerful painkiller with saline. The settlements bring an end to a legal battle that accused the Ivy League school of negligence in safeguarding pain medications.
Settlements Reached in Connecticut
The settlements were announced Monday in New Haven, Connecticut, home to Yale University. While specific financial terms were not disclosed, lawyers for the plaintiffs confirmed that the agreements included significant compensation for the patients.
The lawsuits stemmed from incidents at the Yale University Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility clinic in Orange, Connecticut, where women underwent painful in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. They were supposed to receive the painkiller fentanyl but were unknowingly given saline instead.
Patients’ Concerns Dismissed
Many of the women reported experiencing severe pain during and after their procedures. However, when they raised concerns, their pain was dismissed by the clinic’s staff, according to the lawsuits. Plaintiffs accused Yale of failing to adequately protect its fentanyl supplies, leading to the tampering.
“I, and so many others, never should have been put in a position to beg for medication,” said plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg. “I unnecessarily suffered through the physical and emotional pain because of my desperation to have a family.”
Yale Implements New Safeguards
Yale University released a statement saying that the settlements allow both parties to “move forward and begin healing.” The institution also detailed changes it made after the discovery of the tampering, including increased training and supervision of staff handling medications.
The nurse responsible for the fentanyl tampering, Donna Monticone, no longer works for the clinic. Monticone was sentenced in 2021 to four weekends in prison, three months of home confinement, and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to tampering with a consumer product.
Nurse Adulterated 75% of Fentanyl Supplies
Prosecutors said Monticone replaced about 75% of the fentanyl used at the clinic between June and October 2020 with saline in order to feed her opioid addiction. The nurse apologized to affected patients during her sentencing hearing.
The lawsuits claimed that Yale violated state and federal regulations by failing to properly secure the fentanyl vials, leaving them in an unsupervised and unlocked area. The plaintiffs also alleged that Yale failed to drug test staff members who had access to controlled substances.
