Hospital employees remain part of lawsuit

A judge’s ruling means that two OconeeMemorialHospital officials will remain part of a lawsuit that challenges whether a dentist and his assistant were improperly let go.  Judge Scott Sprouse last week rejected the arguments by the defense attorney that the action taken by Jeanne Ward and Heather Goss was protected by South Carolina’s status as an at-will employment state.  Dentist Robert Strum and assistant Betty Morgan contend they were improperly fired last year from their work with a free dental clinic that had been established at the hospital.  Contrary to our earlier post, the clinic is in operation today.  Greenville Health Systems is a third defendant in the case that alleges wrongful termination.