WINFIELD, W.Va. - The state's medical malpractice insurer agreed Wednesday to pay a total of $3 million to five former patients at Putnam General Hospital who sued Dr. John A King for medical malpractice.

King, an osteopathic physician, generated 124 medical malpractice suits between November 2002 and June 2003 when he performed surgeries at Putnam General, then owned by the Hospital Corporation of America, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain.

Putnam Circuit Judge Ed Eagloski approved the settlements Wednesday, which included some of the first lawsuits filed. They are the first settlements involving King himself.

Since March, most of the 124 lawsuits have been settled with Putnam General and HCA, as well as with David McNair, a physician assistant who worked with King.

The five suits settled Wednesday are the only ones for which King was covered by medical malpractice insurance with the state's insurer, formerly known as the Board of Risk and Insurance Management and now called the West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co. The insurer will not pay more than $1 million in a single malpractice case or more than $3 million for any one physician.

The $3 million was divided into five $600,000 settlements for each of five suits filed by Philip and Andrea Fortner, Cynthia Reed, Regina Bird, Pam McGrew and Cecil Carter.

"These are good faith settlements. The decision to divide the $3 million equally was made by the plaintiffs," Jeffrey Wakefield, a lawyer for West Virginia Mutual Insurance, told the judge Wednesday.

Lawyers representing Putnam General and HCA attended Wednesday's hearing, but made no comments.

WINFIELD, W.Va. - The state's medical malpractice insurer agreed Wednesday to pay a total of $3 million to five former patients at Putnam General Hospital who sued Dr. John A King for medical malpractice.

King, an osteopathic physician, generated 124 medical malpractice suits between November 2002 and June 2003 when he performed surgeries at Putnam General, then owned by the Hospital Corporation of America, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain.

Putnam Circuit Judge Ed Eagloski approved the settlements Wednesday, which included some of the first lawsuits filed. They are the first settlements involving King himself.

Since March, most of the 124 lawsuits have been settled with Putnam General and HCA, as well as with David McNair, a physician assistant who worked with King.

The five suits settled Wednesday are the only ones for which King was covered by medical malpractice insurance with the state's insurer, formerly known as the Board of Risk and Insurance Management and now called the West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co. The insurer will not pay more than $1 million in a single malpractice case or more than $3 million for any one physician.

The $3 million was divided into five $600,000 settlements for each of five suits filed by Philip and Andrea Fortner, Cynthia Reed, Regina Bird, Pam McGrew and Cecil Carter.

"These are good faith settlements. The decision to divide the $3 million equally was made by the plaintiffs," Jeffrey Wakefield, a lawyer for West Virginia Mutual Insurance, told the judge Wednesday.

Lawyers representing Putnam General and HCA attended Wednesday's hearing, but made no comments.

In May, Putnam Circuit Judge O.C. Spaulding approved settlements HCA made for 13 lawsuits involving minors, totaling nearly $12.3 million.

Wednesday's settlements bring the total of 18 publicly disclosed settlements to nearly $15.3 million. The amounts of all other settlements, not involving minors, with Putnam General and HCA have been kept confidential.

The legal actions against King personally are on hold since he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Birmingham back in December. At the time, King listed a 14-year-old Volvo, worth $500, as his only financial asset.

Beth Ellis, a paralegal at Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris, a Birmingham law firm, said last week that her firm filed a petition in bankruptcy court questioning the legitimacy of King's bankruptcy filing.

King faces two medical malpractice suits filed by patients from medical clinics near Birmingham, Ala., where he worked in October and November 2006.

About 30 of King's former patients are also suing Wright Medical Technology and EBI LP, two companies that manufactured spinal implants and monitoring devices King used in some of his surgeries. Those suits will not go to trial until next summer.

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 348-5164.