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The suit was filed in March in Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County. The surgeon group, New Jersey Trauma Critical Care Associates, says the hospital used their skills to obtain a Level 1 Trauma Center verification from the American College of Surgeons, only to be fired without cause and replaced with younger and less experienced trauma surgeons.
The surgeons ran and maintained the trauma center for 14 years, with HUMC earning Level 1 trauma certification in early 2022, according to the lawsuit They were fired one year into a three-year contract and less than six months after achieving the certification, according to the lawsuit. The surgeons who were fired were all in their 50s.
Two of the three physicians they replaced them with are recent graduates of their fellowship programs with minimal experience, while the the surgeons who were fired had more than 100 years of experience, according to the lawsuit.
In a statement, Hackensack University Medical Center said they strongly oppose discrimination on any grounds.
"We vehemently deny these allegations and because the litigation is pending cannot comment further," the hospital said in a statement.
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