Metro Health Hospital says it secured a $1 million settlement against the former head of the Metro Health Foundation.
The hospital said today that Laura Staskiewicz agreed to settle a countersuit Metro filed against her for releasing confidential and misleading information. She also agreed to drop her March 2015 lawsuit against Metro President and CEO Mike Faas that alleged misconduct and unethical behavior.
Staskiewicz’s lawsuit claimed Faas fired her four months earlier for raising concerns about a proposed joint venture Metro Health was pursuing with Tennessee-based Community Health Systems Inc. She claimed Faas was trying to dissolve the foundation as part of the joint venture and divert proceeds from the sale, a claim he and Metro denied.
Metro ended talks with Community Health Systems in August 2015 and is now pursuing an affiliation with the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor.
“I am pleased that the truth in these matters has been revealed. We are focused on the future and growing Metro Health. Serving patients has always been and will always be our top priority,” Faas said in a statement. “Aggressively defending ourselves was not the easy thing to do, but it certainly was the right thing to do. Our reputation in the West Michigan community is critical to our mission of improving the health and well-being of our patients.”
The two sides signed the settlement Sept. 14. A Kent County Circuit Court judge signed off on it two days later.
