Jury Sides with Hospital in Patient Deportation Case
A jury on Monday sided with a Florida hospital accused of wrongly repatriating a severely brain-injured illegal immigrant who had been a patient since 2000. In the verdict, jurors concluded that Martin Memorial Medical Center’s actions had not been unreasonable or unwarranted under the circumstances. In 2003, acting on an order from a state court judge, and disregarding objections by a legal guardian, the hospital chartered a plane to return Luis Alberto Jiménez to his native Guatamala. The lawsuit sought damages to cover Jiménez’s continued care in Guatamala.


