A former Maine Medical Center doctor has filed a federal lawsuit against MaineHealth, alleging he was fired after a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis meant he could no longer perform surgery and he asked to be reassigned.
Dr. Joseph Rappold, a U.S. Navy veteran, was hired by the Portland hospital in 2015 and promoted to vice chief of the emergency department in 2019, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Portland.
Rappold was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020 but was able to perform surgeries until early 2022, when he began to experience symptoms including tremors and “loss of dexterity.” As he was no longer able to safely perform surgeries, Rappold asked to be transferred to a vacant administrative position within the hospital or have his duties modified as he was no longer able to perform surgeries.
MaineHealth, the parent organization of MaineMed, disputed the lawsuit’s allegations in a statement released Monday afternoon and said Rappold remains a MaineHealth employee.
“MaineHealth disputes the allegations in this lawsuit, including the allegations of discrimination, which are completely without merit,” the statement said. “Dr. Rappold continues to work at MaineHealth and we respect and appreciate his contributions to our mission. We are disappointed that he has chosen to act in this way.”
“Dr. Rappold’s surgical duties comprised only a small portion of his overall job duties, while non-surgical duties, including administrative, management, research, teaching, supervisory and clinical duties, made up the majority of his role,” the lawsuit states.
However, according to the lawsuit, “[Maine Med’s]management refused to engage in meaningful negotiations with Dr. Rappold at Dr. Rappold’s request. Instead, (Maine Med) required Dr. Rappold to formally release (Maine Med) from claims under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and the MHRA (Maine Human Rights Act). When Dr. Rappold refused to sign the release, (Maine Med) terminated his employment.”
Rappold met with MaineMed leadership on April 7, 2022 “to discuss his request for an accommodation. However, during the meeting, MMC’s leadership team refused to discuss an accommodation for Dr. Rappold; instead, the team only discussed their desire to replace Dr. Rappold and reassign his job responsibilities to others,” the lawsuit states.
Around the same time, Rappold learned of a fully-fledged administrative position open at the hospital and applied for a position as vice chief of perioperative medicine.
However, according to the complaint, “instead of transferring Dr. Rappold to the vacant VCPM position, less than a month later, (Maine Medical College) sent Dr. Rappold a proposed agreement to accommodate him, provided that he agreed to an agreement to release (Maine Medical College) from its ADA and MHRA violations.”
According to the lawsuit, Rappold refused to sign the termination notice, and MaineMed fired him three weeks later, on July 11, 2022.
MaineMed filled the vice chair of perioperative medicine position in September, but the lawsuit says “Mr. Rappold was better qualified for the position than the candidate ultimately selected by the hospital.”
The lawsuit alleges that the hospital violated Rappold’s rights under the ADA and the MHRA by denying him accommodations that would have allowed him to continue working. Rappold is seeking reinstatement or an unspecified amount in compensation for lost wages, as well as punitive damages.
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