MIAMI (AP) — A Miami federal judge has found in favor of a veteran who claimed in a lawsuit that shoddy hygiene practices at a Veterans Administration hospital caused his hepatitis infection.
The ruling Thursday says the issue of damages will be settled later. Air Force veteran Robert Metzler and his wife were seeking $30 million in damages. Their attorney Ervin Gonzalez contends Metzler contracted hepatitis C after undergoing a colonoscopy with unclean equipment at the Miami VA hospital in 2007.
Metzler was one of thousands of veterans in five states to receive letters from the VA in 2009 urging them to get blood tests after being treated. The VA contended in court it did not cause Metzler's infection and should not pay damages.
Many similar cases have been filed around the country.
