COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — In a pivotal legal decision, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas has ruled that Dr. William Husel’s defamation lawsuit against Mount Carmel Health System, Trinity Health Corporation, and former executive Edward Lamb can proceed to trial. The court denied the defendant’s motion for summary judgment on the defamation claim, determining that sufficient evidence exists to warrant a jury’s consideration.
Dr. Husel’s complaint alleges that a calculated and knowingly false media campaign by Trinity Health Corporation and other defendants led to his indictment on 25 counts of murder on June 5, 2019. Prosecutors later dropped 11 counts, and Dr. Husel was acquitted of the remaining 14 counts on April 20, 2022.
Following Dr. Husel’s acquittal, he faced multiple civil suits.
Dr. Husel intends to demonstrate at trial that internal communications, disclosed during the discovery process, reveal a plot by hospital executives to portray him and several nurses as “villains.” The complaint claims that the executives hired public relations firms to develop a strategy to falsely depict Dr. Husel as a killer, aiming to shift public sentiment in favor of Mount Carmel.
The trial will examine the alleged campaign of false information that misled the public and law enforcement, leading to Dr. Husel’s arrest and indictment. Dr. Husel filed his defamation lawsuit in December 2019, while still under indictment.
Ford O’Brien Landy LLP, representing Dr. Husel, stated, “Dr. William Husel was a devoted and empathetic physician, offering compassionate end-of-life care to patients and their families during their most vulnerable moments. We intend to prove that in a calculated and callous act of corporate greed, one of the nation’s largest hospital corporations launched a ruthless smear campaign against him (and other innocent nurses and dedicated healthcare professionals), knowingly distorting the truth, and sacrificing Dr. Husel’s reputation and career to protect their own financial interests.”
The trial is set for June 2, 2025. Dr. Husel is represented by Robert Landy, Anjula Prasad, and Adam Ford.