Monument Health, former neurosurgeon in dueling lawsuits

Health system accuses doctor of sending hundreds of emails with patient health information to third parties

A former neurosurgeon who was employed with Monument Health is locked in a legal battle with the health system in a dispute over his termination.

Rodney M. Samuelson filed suit against the health system in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, alleging Monument wrongly terminated him. The 31-page complaint hinges on accusations that Monument repeatedly failed to accommodate his disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and that executives there retaliated against him when he sought to invoke his rights under the ADA.

Rise in Black Hills mining claims drives effort to tax lithium mining

But Samuelson is also playing defense. Monument Health has a pending lawsuit that it filed in 2022 in state court asking a judge for a declaratory ruling that Samuelson’s termination was legal.

The basis of that lawsuit argues Monument terminated Samuelson in August of 2021 after launching an investigation into inappropriate conduct. The investigation included a review of his email messages, and it determined that Samuelson used his Monument email account to email messages and attachments to third parties that contained prohibited health information of patients, including photos that were taken on Samuelson’s personal cellphone.

Battle over tax cut ends at hands of senate appropriators

South Dakota legislators pay tribute to recently departed predecessors