A lawsuit filed by former Madison Parish Hospital (MPH) CEO Ted Topolewski against the hospital, its board of commissioners and the Madison Parish Police Jury (MPPJ) is headed to a jury trial after MPH’s legal team officially responded to the charges last week.
In a copy of the response to the lawsuit filed by Topolewski in February in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Louisiana in Monroe, MPH and MPPJ’s legal team denied the allegations against the entities, which include breach of contract, racial discrimination causing severe harm and intentional infliction of emotional distress and denial of the fundamental right of due process, among other charges.
The lawsuit comes after Topolewski was terminated from his position in October of 2022. The contentious firing was on the heels of Topolewksi’s dismissal of a longtime nurse practitioner amid allegations of defrauding the hospital.
The nurse has since been reinstated, while her legal council in the matter, retired Chief Judge Felicia Toney-Williams, now serves as chief compliance officer and legal counsel for MPH. An investigation into the fraud charges has since been launched by state officials and the rural health clinic's ability to bill Medicaid suspended, pending the probe's findings.
Topolewksi’s lawsuit asks for reinstatement to his former position, in addition to specific financial compensations related to his termination.
A date for the trial has not yet been announced.
