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	32 St. Francis Cases Settled By Edmund H. Mahony Hartford Courant May 9, 2011 http://www.courant.com/health/connecticut/hc-st-francis-case-0510-20110509,0,5502633.story A third of all the civil lawsuits filed against St. Francis Hospital regarding Dr. George Reardon's sexual abuse of children have been settled. The settlement was announced Monday morning as a six-member Superior Court jury was about to begin the second full day of deliberations for the first of those cases, filed by a man known in court papers as John Doe 2. About 10 a.m., Judge William T. Cremins came into the courtroom and, at the request of all parties involved, dismissed the 32 lawsuits handled by the New Haven law firm Stratton Faxon. All parties agreed that the amount of the settlement would be confidential. The talks that led to the settlement took place over the weekend and, unlike numerous prior attempts at settlement, the most recent talks succeeded. After the hospital agreed to multiple proposals made by Stratton, a settlement was reached about 5 p.m. Sunday, a source said. A total of 93 cases were filed against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford as a result of sexual abuse of children at the hands of Reardon, an endocrinologist. Stratton Faxon had the second-largest number of cases. Forty are represented by attorney Richard Kenny. The first victim claimed in his suit that Reardon's so-called growth study decades ago was approved research and that the hospital negligently permitted the abuse of hundreds of children by failing to supervise Reardon's work, as was required by hospital policy. The hospital argued that Reardon's so-called study was not research but merely the collection of measurements by Reardon, who was compiling data on growth rates. It is the hospital's position that Reardon's study was not submitted or approved research, so it should not have been expected to supervise it. After the settlement was announced, St. Francis released the following statement: "From the beginning of this tragedy related to the late Dr. Reardon, we have remained committed to resolving this issue as fairly as possible. "With the trial of the first case, we believe that we have proven that Dr. Reardon was a master manipulator who deceived his patients, their parents, and his colleagues at the Hospital. We are prepared to prove that again in court, as necessary. "As a result of very recent discussions with certain plaintiff attorneys, we are today announcing that we have reached a settlement with 32 plaintiffs in this case. "To protect the confidential nature of this settlement, all parties have agreed not to provide further details. "As difficult as this issue has been for everyone involved, our staff of dedicated caregivers continues to provide leading-edge care to the diverse community we serve. We believe the settlements announced today are another step in that direction." Paul Edwards, a Stratton partner, said the negotiations had been going on for months, and the weekend talks were unremarkable but that they brought negotiations to an end. He said John Doe 2 was "very pleased and relieved" as a result of the settlement. Stratton Faxon lawyers notified all the clients Sunday night and Monday morning, and the general feeling among them was a "sense of relief," Edwards said. "This trial has weighed heavily on the shoulders of every one of our clients," Edwards said. "Three and a half years into this, a lot of those people are happy we've come this far and stood up for what is right. There is also some happiness today to turn the page and get some closure here and move on." Stratton Faxon firm released this statement: "After four years of legal proceedings, five weeks of heart-wrenching testimony and two days of jury deliberation, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the former employer of disgraced pedophile Dr. George Reardon, agreed to a confidential settlement of the case with the plaintiffs, bringing the John Doe #2 trial to an end. The confidential settlement will be for the benefit of all the Stratton Faxon Law Firm clients involved in the sexual abuse lawsuit against the hospital." Contact: emahony@courant.com
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