Jury hands down $800K judgement against Surgery Center, anesthesiologist in sexual harassment trial

Published 2:45 pm Thursday, October 5, 2017

A jury handed down a combined $800,000 verdict against the Surgery Center of Cullman and an anesthesiologist after finding the two subjected an employee to a hostile work environment and sexual harassment.

The Surgery Center, a part of Surgical Care Affiliates, and Dr. Kevin Johnson were found liable for violating plaintiff Dana Anderson’s civil rights during a trial at the federal courthouse in Birmingham last month.

Anderson filed suit, claiming Johnson sexually harassed her at work, and management failed to address the matter after she reported it. The practice is on Wall Street, nearby Cullman Regional.

The jury found Johnson responsible for assault and battery and the tort of outrage (inflicting emotional distress), awarding Anderson $500,000 in total damages — $400,000 in compensatory and $100,000 in punitive.

The Surgery Center’s judgement is capped at $300,000 based on federal law.

Johnson is affiliated with the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System-Montgomery and Owensboro Health Regional Hospital in Owensboro, Kentucky, according to U.S. News and World Report.

He received his medical degree from University of South Alabama College of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. He is one of 4 doctors at Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System-Montgomery and one of 14 at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital who specialize in Anesthesiology.

He is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and has active medical licenses in Alabama and Tennessee through 2017 and in Kentucky through 2018.