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Md. lawsuit over doctor’s recordings goes forward

By WTOP Staff

By JESSICA GRESKO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) – Thousands of women who visited a Baltimore gynecologist who secretly photographed and videotaped patients will be allowed to join together for settlement talks in a class action lawsuit against Johns Hopkins Hospital, which employed him.

Lawyers for both the patients who filed the class action lawsuit against Hopkins and the hospital itself asked a judge earlier this week to sign papers that will let the parties move forward with settlement negotiations. The judge signed the papers Wednesday, and a lawyer for the patients said Friday he would expect settlement negotiations to begin before the end of the year.

Hospital officials began investigating Dr. Nikita Levy in February of this year after an employee reported suspecting him of photographing patients. The employee said Levy wore what looked like a pen around his neck, but she believed it was a camera. Hopkins security questioned Levy on Feb. 5 and barred him from contact with patients. Hopkins notified Baltimore City police the day after, and police ultimately seized a large amount of evidence including multiple servers from Levy’s home.

Levy, 54, later committed suicide. A graduate of Cornell University’s medical school, he had worked at Johns Hopkins since 1988.

According to the documents signed Wednesday by a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge, anyone who was a patient of Levy’s would be covered by settlement talks. The lawsuit filed earlier this year says 9,000 or more women were patients. Lawyers currently represent some 3,800 women. The lawsuit claims the hospital knew or should have known that Levy was photographing and videotaping patients without their consent and that officials failed to discover, stop and report his actions. Women will not have to prove that they were photographed or videotaped to be covered by the settlement discussions.

Jonathan Schochor, one of the lawyers leading negotiations for the patients along with Howard Janet, said the fact that Johns Hopkins lawyers joined in asking the judge to let settlement negotiations move forward signals a willingness to “end this disaster for everyone.”

Johns Hopkins said in a statement Friday that the hospital believes “attempting to resolve the claims without protracted litigation is in the best interests” of patients. The hospital said it “sincerely hopes” that moving forward will “facilitate a fair resolution of all claims.”

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Follow Jessica Gresko at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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