New Brunswick RCMP say no criminal charges will be laid after women at The Moncton Hospital were allegedly given a labour-inducing drug without their consent last year.
“We conducted a very thorough, very complex investigation during the year,” Sergeant Mathieu Roy said Tuesday. “In March, we presented our file and our findings to the Crown prosecutor, and after an extensive and careful review determined that no charges be laid.”
Police have not released the name of the nurse at the centre of the allegations because she was never formally charged.
The women who were given the labour-inducing drug, however, have launched a class-action lawsuit against the nurse, Nicole Ruest, who worked at The Moncton Hospital. She has since been fired.
The lawsuit, which has not been tested in court, alleges Ms. Ruest improperly gave patients the labour-inducing drug oxytocin, leading to an unusually high number of emergency C-sections and instrument-assisted deliveries at The Moncton Hospital.
Ms. Ruest denies the allegations. A statement of defence filed in court says the nurse “did not breach any duty of care owed to the plaintiff or to any proposed class member, nor did she fall below the applicable standard of care.”
“At all material times, Ms. Ruest provided nursing care that met or exceeded the applicable standard of care.”
Horizon chief executive Karen McGrath issued a statement Tuesday recognizing that no charges would be laid, but declined further comment.
Ms. Ruest could not be reached Tuesday for comment. Her lawyer, Andrew Faith, issued a statement stating: “In refusing to lay charges after over a year of investigation, the Crown Prosecutor’s Office has acknowledged what Nicole Ruest has known all along: the allegations against her were unfounded.
“Nicole lost her job and has been prohibited from serving her community since March 2019 on the strength of unsubstantiated claims. Nicole has always maintained her innocence and intends to vigorously reclaim her dignity and reputation – and most importantly, her role as a care provider in the months and years ahead.”
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