Chesapeake Regional Lawsuits Filed by Nearly 1,000 Women Who May Have Undergone Unnecessary Surgeries

More than 100 additional women filed lawsuits last week, bringing the total damages sought in the litigation to nearly $9 billion.

Nearly 1,000 women have now filed lawsuits against Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, alleging they were subjected to unnecessary and irreversible gynecological surgeries performed by a longtime physician later convicted of health care fraud.

The growing litigation stems from treatment provided by Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, a former obstetrician-gynecologist who practiced for decades in the Chesapeake, Virginia area and performed many of his procedures at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center.

According to recent reports, 123 additional plaintiffs joined the litigation last week, bringing the total number of women pursuing claims to about 907 former patients. Many allege they underwent hysterectomies, sterilizations or other invasive procedures that were not medically necessary.

Women involved in the case are seeking about $10 million in damages each, arguing the hospital failed to intervene despite warning signs that Perwaiz was performing improper procedures.

Perwaiz was convicted in federal court in 2020 on 52 counts of health care fraud and related charges after prosecutors demonstrated he carried out unnecessary surgeries while billing insurers and government health programs.

He is currently serving a 59 year federal prison sentence for the scheme. Many of the surgeries cited in the lawsuits took place at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, where Perwaiz held medical privileges from the 1980s until his arrest in 2019.

Hospital Failed to Stop Abuse

The growing wave of lawsuits claims the hospital and its leadership should have intervened earlier, alleging administrators ignored warning signs about the doctor’s conduct and allowed the procedures to continue for years.

According to the claims, the hospital continued granting Perwaiz privileges even though concerns had been raised about unnecessary surgeries and other irregular practices.

Some allegations in federal filings indicate the hospital received millions of dollars in reimbursements from government health programs for procedures performed by the doctor, while concerns about his conduct were raised internally. Plaintiffs contend the hospital’s failure to act allowed the doctor to continue performing surgeries that permanently altered patients’ lives.

The lawsuits seek compensation for medical expenses, emotional distress and other damages tied to procedures plaintiffs claim should never have been performed.

In addition to civil lawsuits, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center has also faced federal criminal charges related to the scheme, with prosecutors alleging the hospital conspired to defraud government health care programs and allowed medically unnecessary procedures to be performed at its facility.

Individuals who believe they may have been harmed by unnecessary surgeries, or other forms of doctor negligence, can contact a medical malpractice attorney to determine if they should file a lawsuit.

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