"When Tom VanOsdol signed an affidavit under oath last year, he was the Senior Vice President Ascension and Ministry Market Executive of Ascension Florida and the Gulf Coast, overseeing medical systems in Pensacola, Mobile, and Jacksonville."
"The affidavit was filed in support of a motion seeking to prevent plaintiffs from taking VanOsdol’s deposition as part of the hundreds of medical malpractice cases against St. Vincent’s and former orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Heekin."
"Heekin is accused of botching hundreds of surgeries at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside Hospital from 2016 to 2020. Plaintiffs allege he had a progressive neurological condition that caused problems with his balance, thinking, and speech."
"But a judge denied their motion, finding VanOsdol received at least one complaint from a doctor about a number of concerning and potentially very poor outcome for patients of Dr. Heekin. He also found he communicated with the chief medical officer about those concerns, but St. Vincent’s never disclosed the existence of texts among them in court."
"The judge goes on to say he found VanOsdol was personally involved in dealing with concerns from employees that St. Vincent’s was not responding to complaints about Dr. Heekin.
"The judge found that VanOsdol’s affidavit is 'lacking in candor and veracity' and 'is not plausible on its face'."
“Which of course is tantamount to the judge saying, that some statements VanOsdol made in the affidavit are false,” said attorney Curtis Fallgatter.
"Fallgatter is a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in this litigation- he says the signed affidavit could create problems for VanOsdol."
“What’s an oath? An oath is you’re there to tell the truth, and you’re verifying the accuracy of this. So if those elements are met under Florida law, perjury is a third degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison,” Fallgatter said.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/08/17/i-team-judge-finds-top-executive-at-st-vincents-knew-about-complaints-against-dr-heekin/