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Ohio University Meningitis Case Continues

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With a related case in Franklin County resolved, a trial date has been set in an Ohio Court of Claims case against Ohio University relating to the death of an OU student.

Joseph Robinson of Cleveland Heights filed the Court of Claims case after his daughter, Andrea, died of bacterial meningitis in 2010. The case alleges that OU did not do enough to protect Andrea Robinson against bacterial meningitis and that she did not receive adequate care at Hudson Health Center. The university has denied the allegations contained in the lawsuit.

Robinson had also filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against Sheltering Arms Hospital Foundation, doing business as O'Bleness Memorial Hospital, and emergency room physician Gwendolyn Millesen. Last month, a jury ruled in favor of O'Bleness and Millesen. Although the jury found that Millesen was negligent in not intubating Andrea Robinson before transferring her to a Columbus hospital, the jury ruled the negligence was not the proximate cause of Andrea Robinson's death.

The Court of Claims case had been stayed while the Franklin County case was pending. With the jury having ruled, Court of Claims Judge Patrick McGrath has lifted the stay and scheduled the case against OU for trial Nov. 17-21.

A case management conference in the case is scheduled for June 6 and a pre-trial conference for Oct. 16, according to court documents.

Court papers indicate that Andrea Robinson went to Ohio University’s Hudson Health Center for treatment before going to O’Bleness Memorial Hospital and being transferred to Riverside Methodist Hospital, where she died.