Hepatitis C Victims, Nursing Home Team Up Against Hospital

Twenty-one outbreak victims and ManorCare nursing home are seeking money from Trinity Health to pay for expensive drugs to treat the disease and unspecified money damages for economic harm, personal injury and wrongful death. The amended complaint filed in state district court alleges that the deaths of at least three people were tied to the outbreak.

The victims say the disease has caused them pain and suffering and humiliation and cost them medical expenses, among other things. ManorCare alleges that Trinity hospital falsely blamed the nursing home for the outbreak, hurting its business and leading to the sale of the facility late last year to a Wisconsin-based partnership at a price far below its true value.

"In 2010, the facility was valued at $23 million. In 2015, after the outbreak, it sold for less than $8 million," the lawsuit states.

Trinity, which has denied responsibility for the outbreak, didn't immediately respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that can cause serious liver damage or death. Fifty-two cases were linked to the Minot outbreak that began in August 2013, with 48 tied to ManorCare residents or former residents, according to the state Health Department. It was the largest such outbreak in the nation in 13 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State and federal health officials have not pinpointed an exact cause, but they suspect the outbreak might have been associated with foot care, nail care or blood services provided to ManorCare residents.

You may view the original news article at Fox News.com