Italian courts order hospital compensation; police arrest Alghero sexual assault suspect

Police in Alghero, Sardinia, arrested a young man and placed him under house arrest after a court issued a precautionary measure for aggravated sexual violence. The investigation, coordinated by the Carabinieri and the Sassari prosecutor, concluded that the suspect forced repeated intimate touching on a woman, who escaped and sought medical care. The judge of the preliminary investigations approved the custodial measure based on strong evidence collected.

In a separate case in Tuscany, the Court of Appeal in Florence overturned a Lucca tribunal decision and ordered the local health authority to fully reimburse legal costs and damages to a patient whose Achilles tendon rupture was not diagnosed at the San Luca hospital emergency department. The delayed diagnosis led to infection and a second surgery, resulting in permanent complications. The appellate court rejected the hospital's low settlement offer and affirmed the patient's right to full compensation, including court fees and attorney fees.