11 more King lawsuits settled

WINFIELD – Eleven more lawsuits against a former Putnam County surgeon have been settled by a hospital corporation and its former subsidiary.

Hospital Corporation of America and Putnam General Hospital settled with 11 clients of Charleston attorney William Druckman in cases involving Dr. John A. King.

Last month, 70 other similar cases filed by the Charleston law firm of Curry & Tolliver were settled.

King, who was named as a defendant in 124 malpractice suits in Putnam County, hasn't agreed to any settlements. In November, he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in federal court in Alabama, where he also has two suits pending against him.

In October, King filed a suit in October in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against HCA, Putnam General and several administrators and physicians. He seeks more than $531 million in damages. He says he should get the money because of an agreement he had with Putnam General before he left. The suit is similar to one King filed in federal court in West Virginia. That lawsuit was dismissed.

King performed more than 500 surgeries at Putnam General between late 2002 and mid-2003. The suits allege he harmed patients in a variety of ways – including botched surgeries -- during his time at Putnam General.

King has lost or surrendered medical licenses in states including West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

In December, King filed personal bankruptcy papers. He listed his only asset as a 1993 Volvo worth $500.

King, who changed his name to Christopher Wallace Martin in 2006, worked at Putnam General Hospital from November 2002 to June 2003. Last year, Charleston Area Medical Center bought Putnam General from HCA. The facility is now known as CAMC-Teays Valley Hospital.

King recently filed another suit, seeking $10 million from the state Board of Osteopathy. He says the board damaged his reputation by revoking his license, which resulted in suspensions in other states.