A longtime Kaiser Permanente surgeon is suing a fellow physician for allegedly submitting false medical board complaints against him in an attempt to get him fired.
Dr. Stalfire, a board-certified ob.gyn., has worked for Kaiser Permanente in western Oregon for more than 20 years, including several years as a regional chief surgical officer.
Dr. Stalfire is accusing Dr. Hsieh of defamation and intentional emotional distress, according to the March 25 lawsuit filed in Marion County Circuit Court. Northwest Permanente P.C., a Kaiser subsidiary, is also named as a defendant.
Dr. Stalfire is asking for $1.2 million in economic damages and $300,000 in noneconomic damages. Dr. Hsieh has not yet responded to the legal complaint.
Dr. Stalfire’s attorney did not respond to a message seeking comment. Dr. Hsieh is representing himself, according to court records. A Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman told this news organization that Kaiser does not comment on pending litigation.
The conflict began in February 2023, after Dr. Stalfire underwent surgery to correct issues stemming from severe injuries when a tree fell on his leg, according to court records.
Dr. Hsieh, a Kaiser ob.gyn., senior physician, and quality assurance lead, allegedly contacted Dr. Stalfire after the surgery and demanded he return to work earlier than medically recommended. Dr. Stalfire claims Dr. Hsieh questioned his retirement plans and his ability to continue working to pressure him into quitting.
Dr. Stalfire reported Dr. Hsieh’s conduct to Kaiser’s human resources department. However, the complaint contends Dr. Hsieh’s actions only escalated after the report was made. According to the complaint, Dr. Hsieh began telling coworkers Dr. Stalfire was “lying” about his injuries. Dr. Hsieh also allegedly contacted administrators and schedulers to ask about Dr. Stalfire’s injuries and suggested that he was not “legitimately recovering from serious injuries.” The complaint claims that Dr. Hsieh told Dr. Stalfire’s colleagues that he was a “con man,” a “criminal,” and “despicable.”
According to Dr. Stalfire’s complaint, in August 2023, Dr. Hsieh submitted numerous anonymous complaints about Dr. Stalfire to the Washington Medical Commission, the Oregon Medical Board, and other governmental agencies. Dr. Stalfire defended himself against the complaints, and they were dismissed. The lawsuit does not specify the nature of the complaints.
Dr. Stalfire later made public record requests for the complaints and discovered Dr. Hsieh had used his deceased mother-in-law’s phone number as his contact information, according to the lawsuit.
Despite multiple reports about Dr. Hsieh’s conduct, Dr. Stalfire claims Kaiser retained Dr. Hsieh as an employee and took no action to prevent him from making false statements about Dr. Stalfire.
He claims Dr. Hsieh’s harassment and Kaiser’s inaction harmed his professional reputation, caused lost work time, and resulted in severe emotional distress that required mental health treatment. The harm caused continues to impact his ability to work, the suit contends.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.