Surgeon hired by MU seeks $15M in lawsuit

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - An orthopedic surgeon who was hired by the University of Missouri to take over a position at a partner hospital is suing.

The Columbia Daily Tribune (http://bit.ly/yXtHKD) reported that Avinash Jadhav alleges that the university tried to ruin his career. He is seeking $15 million in punitive damages in the lawsuit filed earlier this month in Boone County Circuit Court.

His attorney, George Smith, said his client was hired to work at Fitzgibbons Hospital in Marshall with the understanding that he would take over the caseload of the current resident orthopedic surgeon. But that never happened.

The lawsuit details how the situation unraveled after Jadhav failed to build up a profitable practice. Smith says the hospital wasn't big enough for two orthopedic surgeons.

The university doesn't comment on pending litigation.