Judge rules against Avera Health doctor in discrimination lawsuit

Conflicts with medical colleagues led to firing

A former Avera Health doctor cannot prove that his termination was discriminatory, nor can he prove that his colleagues defamed him, a federal judge has ruled.

Dr. Steven Condron sued Avera after he was fired in August, 2020, alleging he had been dismissed because he sought mental health treatment from a Kansas-based treatment provider in 2018. At the time, his marriage was ending and his mother was seriously ill. Condron had also complained about the health system’s COVID-19 protocols.

Condron joined Avera’s gastroenterology group in 2008. In November 2018 he took leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to seek treatment for depression, which Avera granted. Upon his return in January 2019, Avera sought to implement Condron’s return-to-work schedule, which included decreased working hours.

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