Fifteen lawsuits have been filed in Dodge County District Court on behalf of patients infected with hepatitis C at a clinic leasing space at the Fremont Area Medical Center in Fremont, Neb. Eighty-one patients of Dr. Tahir Javed's clinic have tested positive for hepatitis C. Nebraska health officials have said a vial of medicine at the clinic may have been contaminated, leading to the infections. Letters sent in October to 612 clinic patients advised them to seek voluntary testing. The cancer and blood disorder patients were treated at the clinic between March 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2001. Two of the lawsuits claim wrongful death. The rest seek compensation for the patients' treatment costs and for their physical and mental suffering. Johnson & Vaughn, the law firm that filed the cases, could file claims against the county, which owns FAMC. Javed left the United States in July to attend to his ailing mother. He has been in contact with his attorney, according to Dr. Tom Safrenek, state epidemiologist.

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