OKLAHOMA CITY — Karla Beatty is not a frivolous lawsuit.
While Rep. Dan Sullivan may not like that fact, he found it hard to deny when a jury sided with Beatty, forcing him to eventually settle her case, but only after dragging it out for years.
Beatty made a trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday to tell her story and show others that Sullivan's background and contributions call into question whom he serves.
For his 2008 race Sullivan accepted more than $50,000 from insurance companies, Big Business and others that stand to make huge profits by neglecting the public's safety and best interest.
“Mr. Sullivan claims he is out for the little guy, but the truth is that he is not at all interested in what is best for all Oklahomans. He is clearly only interested in protecting himself and the special interests that contribute to his campaigns and write his paychecks,” said Jeff Raymond, executive director of OKWatchdog, a nonprofit consumer and patient advocacy group based in Oklahoma City that sponsoredBeatty's press conference. “Karla's story demonstrates Mr. Sullivan's misguided priorities.”
After having a tumor removed, Beatty, 42, returned to her local doctor, complaining of pain. He prescribed Keflex, an antibiotic that is ineffective against the drug-resistant MRSA infection she had.
The infection caused Beatty to lose a portion of her skull and left her permanently blind. As a result, she is unable to work and has been forced to give up her plans to become a nurse.
Sullivan, who sponsored HB 1603, represented the doctor who treated Beatty. The doctor lost the legal battle and ultimately lost his medical license. Sullivan has represented countless doctors, corporations and insurance companies in lawsuits similar to Beatty's. If passed, HB 1603 will protect Sullivan's clients by making it impossible for Beatty and others like her to face them in court.
“They can put it off forever and make it way too hard to fight,” Beatty said, echoing the experiences of others who have faced obstruction from greedy insurance companies and corporations, and their unlimited resources.
“Judging by the legislation he has sponsored, Mr. Sullivan is more concerned with padding his own pockets than he is with ensuring his clients are held accountable when they have been grossly irresponsible or negligent,” Raymond said. “That is just plain wrong.”
Beatty sees her lawsuit as the only way to keep others from going through what she went through. Rather than protecting wrongdoers and promoting a narrow agenda, Beatty would like to see Sullivan and his colleagues in the House of Representatives protect consumers and patients from abuse and harm.
“They have to be held accountable,” Beatty said. “They’re not held accountable enough now. If you give Dan Sullivan what he wants, it’s even going to be worse.”
