Orioles Player Files Suit Against Johns Hopkins Hospital

A Baltimore Orioles outfielder has reportedly filed suit against Johns Hopkins Hospital for negligence.

Legal representatives for Nolan Reimold, 31, allege that after he had spinal surgery in 2012, a Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon cleared him to play too soon, necessitating an additional surgery and hurting his career.

After being diagnosed with a herniated disk, Reimold had spinal surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital on June 25, 2012, according to the law firm representing him.

Dr. Ziya Gokaslan released Reimold to play without any activity restrictions on Jan. 20, 2013, before his neck bones were fully fused, according to a statement from the firm.

“I was under the impression that everything was fused,” Reimold said in a statement. “Dr. Gokaslan released me to full play without any activity restrictions, and told me I was good to play and work out. I did my best to get back on track. I had no idea that every game I played caused me further injury because my bones weren’t fused.”

Reimold had to have an additional repair surgery on July 22, 2013, and missed the rest of 2013 season.

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“Nolan’s injuries and subsequent absence from the game were entirely avoidable,” Hassan Murphy, the baseball player’s attorney, said. “Unfortunately, because Dr. Gokaslan discharged Nolan before his bones were fully fused, his career took a turn for the worse, and he missed valuable time when he could have been playing at the highest level.”

Before his 2012 surgery, Reimold had the highest batting average on the Orioles roster. He is currently playing in the minors with the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Orioles.

In response to the allegations, Johns Hopkins issued a statement indicating that its standards of care were met.

“We are limited in what we can say due to privacy and the fact that the case is currently being litigated,” the statement said. “We believe that Johns Hopkins met the standards of care for this particular surgery.”

Screenshot of Nolan Reimold from Mid-Atlantic Sports Network/YouTube.