Record Award for not Providing Terp

A deaf patient has won a record $400,000 verdict in Hudson County, New Jersey. Her doctor had refused to provide a sign language interpreter during office visits. Irma Gerena says she repeatedly made the request of rheumatologist Robert Fogari while he was treating her for lupus. But he told Gerena that he couldn't afford to pay the $200 charge for each visit. Instead, Fogari spoke with family members including Gerena’s 9-year-old daughter. Gerena says the doctor refused to meet with an interpreter who could have explained the law to him. She eventually switched to another doctor who immediately changed her treatment. There were side effects to Forgari’s regiment that were unclear because of the communication problems.