$8 Million Verdict for Alabama Doctor Against Nurse Practitioners

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, a jury in Madison County, Alabama returned a verdict awarding $8 million to a psychiatric practice against two nurse practitioners, one counselor, and their several businesses.

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The plaintiff, North Alabama Family Psychiatry & Counseling, LLC, was represented by Taylor Rouse and Aaron Ryan of Cloud, Ryan; Rouse, LLC.

North Alabama Family Psychiatry & Counseling offers psychiatric and mental health services in Madison, Alabama. The business is owned and operated by Dr. Anika Wilson, a double board-certified psychiatrist who has practiced in the area for more than 15 years.

Taylor Rouse said Dr. Wilson started her business from scratch in 2015 without a single patient. Through years of hard work, Dr. Wilson grew her practice and eventually hired two nurse practitioners—Katy Cousart and Angela Waldrop—and one counselor—Doris Bell—to assist with her patients.

Rouse and his team presented evidence at trial showed that Waldrop and Cousart began scheming in the fall of 2021 to move patients from North Alabama Family Psychiatry & Counseling to a new business they planned to open called Lighthouse Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Clinic.

The evidence showed that the Defendants canceled hundreds of appointments and stopped scheduling future appointments—all from North Alabama Family Psychiatry & Counseling’s office.

The Defendants then saw the same patients at their new practice within weeks of opening, often on the same day and at the same time they were scheduled to be seen at North Alabama Family Psychiatry & Counseling before their appointments were canceled.

Evidence also showed that the Defendants tried to cover their tracks by deleting emails and downloading hundreds of patient records to bypass HIPAA requirements.

He said after a short deliberation, the jury awarded North Alabama Family Psychiatry & Counseling $2 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages.

“The jury’s message was clear – ‘We work hard in this community, and cutting corners by trying to take the livelihood of others will not be tolerated,’” said Taylor Rouse.