Nurse Terminated After Pneumonia Absences Gets Leave Bias Trial

A Community Health Systems Inc. unit and a related company that formerly owned a West Virginia hospital will face trial on a nurse’s claims that she was fired because of her protected medical leave.

A jury could find CHSPSC LLC and Oak Hill Hospital Corp. were on notice of the surgical recovery room nurse’s possible need for leave under the Family and Medical leave Act after she was diagnosed with pneumonia in fall 2022, the US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia said Tuesday. The FMLA doesn’t require employees to expressly invoke its protections; they only need ...