60 Patients of Indiana Nose Doc to be Compensated

The final 60 patients who have pending medical malpractice claims against a former northwestern Indiana nose surgeon who disappeared while vacationing in Greece and was captured five years later on an Italian mountainside will receive compensation through a settlement.

The Times of Munster reports the settlement amount for patients of Mark Weinberger wasn’t disclosed in a news release from the Indiana Department of Insurance and attorney Kenneth J. Allen. The civil lawsuits sought damages, saying Weinberger performed unnecessary or negligent surgeries leading to pain and suffering.

On Monday a Lake County judge approved a $55 million settlement involving 282 former patients of Weinberger. In a separate criminal case, Weinberger pleaded guilty to 22 counts of health care fraud last year. He is serving a seven-year sentence in federal prison.