A shocking breach of privacy has come to light as a Louisiana resident files a lawsuit against a local medical center and one of its nurses. Cody Aucoin filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on September 16, 2024, accusing CLHG-Acadian LLC, doing business as Acadian Medical Center, and Nurse A. Smith, R.N., of violating his privacy rights under HIPAA.
According to the complaint, Mr. Aucoin was admitted to Acadian Medical Center multiple times between October 2020 and October 2023 for various medical issues. Each time he signed a "Consent of Services" form that purportedly included a "Notice of Privacy Practices." However, Mr. Aucoin alleges that he never received or signed such notices. The situation took a dire turn after his surgery on October 3, 2023, when he learned from a friend that Nurse A. Smith had been disclosing private information about his groin area to third parties.
Feeling mortified and violated, Mr. Aucoin drove to Acadian Medical Center to file a grievance against Nurse A. Smith for disclosing his personal healthcare information without consent. The complaint outlines numerous violations under HIPAA regulations and accuses the defendants of failing to protect his private information adequately.
Mr. Aucoin is seeking damages for physical injuries, mental anguish, embarrassment, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, damage to professional and personal reputation, attorney’s fees, and punitive damages. He claims that the breach resulted from insufficient safeguards at Acadian Medical Center and inadequate training for its employees regarding HIPAA compliance.
The case has been assigned Civil Action No: 6:24-cv-01261.
Representing Mr. Aucoin is attorney Shermin S. Khan from The Khan Law Firm L.L.C., based in New Orleans.