Yale Settles Claims from Fertility Clinic Patients Over Diverted Fentanyl, Reports Reuters

By Brendan Pierson

Yale University has reached a settlement with 95 patients of its fertility clinic who received treatments without adequate pain relief after a nurse diverted fentanyl for personal use, as announced by the plaintiffs’ attorneys on Monday.

The undisclosed settlement covers a total of 154 plaintiffs, including partners of the affected patients. They accused Yale’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility clinic in Orange, Connecticut, of failing to maintain effective monitoring systems for controlled substances. This negligence allowed a nurse to replace the powerful painkiller fentanyl with saline solution on a systematic basis.

The university has agreed to pay "substantial damages," although the exact amount has not been revealed.

In a statement, Yale indicated that it has implemented new measures to prevent such diversion in the future, which include enhanced staff training and supervision. The university emphasized its commitment to ensuring that patients and staff feel heard and that strong protective measures are established.

Plaintiffs claimed that Yale initially disregarded multiple patient complaints regarding severe pain experienced during egg retrieval procedures associated with in vitro fertilization. The issue only came to light when an employee observed a loose cap on a fentanyl vial.

"Our clients came to this clinic during a highly vulnerable time and expected to be heard and believed by their medical providers," said Kelly Fitzpatrick of the law firm representing the plaintiffs. "Instead, their reports of intense pain were consistently dismissed, leaving them feeling invalidated."

The diversion of medications was uncovered through a criminal investigation that led to the nurse’s guilty plea in 2021 for tampering with a consumer product. Investigators revealed that approximately 75% of fentanyl administered to patients between June and October 2020 had been mixed with saline, although the plaintiffs argue that the diversion occurred over a longer span.

Egg retrieval is an invasive procedure typically accompanied by pain management.

The nurse involved, Donna Monticone, was sentenced to three months of home confinement.

The case gained national attention following a 2023 series on a prominent podcast.