Tenet Settles Class Action Over Hurricane Katrina Deaths

Tenet Healthcare Corp., the third-largest publicly traded hospital chain, agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over patient deaths at a New Orleans medical center in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Families of patients who died sued the company over the actions of officials at Memorial Medical Center in August 2005. At least 34 patients died at the hospital after the hurricane knocked out power and the temperature inside the building rose to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). The hospital’s windows couldn’t be opened.