Physician at Virginia Mental Health Facility Ordered Reinstated
Horner v. Dep't Mental Health, 597 S.E.2d 202 (Va. 2004)
Ending a long-standing employment dispute at Western State Hospital, the Virginia Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of a physician who had worked for six years as an internist at the state-run facility. The physician had been fired on May 15, 2001. He claimed he was fired for complaining publicly about the quality of psychiatric care at the hospital, while the state asserted he was fired for failure to follow a supervisor's instructions and for violating state policy regarding the disclosure of personnel records...