Buchanan Labor & Employment Attorneys Secure Significant Win for Allegheny Clinic and Allegheny Health Network
PITTSBURGH (June 2024) - Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Labor & Employment attorneys, Jaime Tuite, shareholder and head of the Pittsburgh office, and Nicholas Bell, counsel, secured a win in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County after many years of litigation on behalf of client Allegheny Clinic and Allegheny Health Network (AHN).
On June 10, 2024, Allegheny Clinic, AHN and ACDH Endoscopy II, LLC (ACDH II) won a non-jury trial against Dr. Shyam Thakkar, a former doctor of Allegheny Clinic and Director of Endoscopy.Thakkar claimed multiple breach of contract claims and violation of the wage payment and collection law, asserting wages, damages, attorneys’ fees and the fair market value of his 20% interest in ACDH II. Defendants won a complete victory on all claims.
Thakkar claimed that he was entitled to 180 days’ notice under the Physician Agreement. After a two-day trial, the court determined that Thakkar was entitled only to 90 days’ notice and that the Agreement terminated on June 30, 2020. As a result, when he ceased employment on June 30, 2020, AC owed Thakkar no wages, no malpractice insurance, no privileges or anything else, despite his arguments to the contrary.
The outcome of this trial shows that the Allegheny Clinic’s Physician Agreement will be interpreted consistent with its plain language and attempts to isolate certain provisions or misuse internal communications will not allow for circumvention of the contract terms.