Virginia judge largely sides with ex-patients in hospital’s effort to pare down lawsuit abuse claims

By SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A judge has ruled that most of the claims of sexual abuse and other mistreatment made in a long-running civil lawsuit by dozens of former patients of a Virginia children’s hospital can move forward. Richmond Circuit Court Judge Bradley Cavedo rejected defendants’ arguments this month that most of the allegations were time-limited under the state’s medical malpractice law. An attorney for the plaintiffs calls it an “incredibly important” decision. An attorney for several of the defendants says they are still reviewing the ruling. The lawsuit initially filed in 2020 is set for trial next year.