Fired Doctor Seeks Job Back, Damages In Lawsuit East Indian Claims School For Mentally Disabled Discriminated Against Him

A physician who was fired from the Rainier School for mentally disabled adults has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the institution, its supervisors and the state.

Dr. Tariq Ahmed, 40, filed the suit recently in federal court in Tacoma, alleging he was dismissed because of his East Indian descent and because he has a hearing disability.

In addition, some nurses were inadequately trained and have created “situations where patients were at risk,” according to the suit. It lists the state, Rainier Superintendent Leanna Lamb, supervising physician Dr. Rogelio Ruvalcaba and 20 unnamed people as defendants.

Ahmed, who was hired in May 1994, was fired in January after officials at the Buckley school investigated him for unspecified misconduct, court documents said.

The doctor is seeking to get his job back as well as lost wages and benefits. The suit also seeks unspecified damages for emotional distress, humiliation and loss of professional standing, and punitive damages under federal disabilities law.

State assistant attorney general Peter Berney said Friday that there’s no evidence of any consistently poor performance by the nursing staff at Rainier School.

On the other hand, Berney said, there have been 15 separate reports of alleged misconduct - “issues of patient care and health” - by Ahmed dating back to 1994.

Ahmed is licensed to practice in the state and has no history of being disciplined for complaints, said Mark Fox of the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

Lamb said more than 100 licensed nurses work at the facility and “all are well qualified.”

Rainier School is one of five state institutions where people with mental disabilities live and work. The 80-acre campus houses 446 residents, most of whom have serious disabilities and multiple afflictions.

Ahmed’s allegations about substandard nursing care are identical to the ones made against the school in a 1996 federal class action lawsuit filed by the Washington Protection & Advocacy System and others.

The suit, which is pending, alleges that the school subjects its patients to abuse, neglect and injury, said WPAS attorney Randal Brown.