Two Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic surgeons have filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, its nonprofit foundation, and affiliated ASCs alleging defamation, retaliation, sex discrimination and other unlawful actions, according to lawsuit documents accessed by Becker’s.
What happened?
- Daniel Kharrazi, MD, and Ronald Kvitne, MD, allege the health system harmed their careers and compromised patient care, including care for first responders and professional athletes.
- The physicians claim Cedars-Sinai pursued a “monopoly-driven” takeover of the Kerlan Jobe Surgery Center, allegedly using its 51% ownership stake to override physician governance and take control of hiring, scheduling, billing, and patient access without consulting the surgeon-owners.
- They also allege a pattern of age, gender and disability discrimination — including sidelining senior male Kerlan-Jobe surgeons in favor of younger, less-experienced female physicians — and falsely questioning Dr. Kvitne’s fitness after spinal surgery despite his medical clearance.
- The lawsuit further claims Cedars-Sinai spread false statements that the physicians were fired or retired, disrupting patient relationships and harming continuity of care, particularly for first responders and elite athletes ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Cedars-Sinai told Becker’s that it does not comment on pending litigation.
