The MetroHealth System on Wednesday released its response to former CEO Airica Steed, who is suing the hospital's board of trustees following her firing last August.
MetroHealth reiterated its claims that Steed was fired due to poor job performance, stating Steed “failed to comply with her obligations, perform the job duties required of her as CEO, or meet the board’s legitimate expectations" in a complaint filed May 7 in U.S. District Court in response to Steed's lawsuit.
MetroHealth claims the board met with Steed in May 2024 to discuss her performance, but she "failed to address the issues highlighted by the board, failed to respond to the board, and did not provide the updates to the board as required."
It also accuses Steed of insubordinate conduct and "exhibiting a blatant disregard for the board’s overall authority and ignoring its responsibility for MetroHealth."
Steed's lawsuit claims her performance reviews were favorable as recently as March 2024, resulting in a 121% payout of her performance bonus. The suit also claims her predecessors were not subject, as she was, to a wide-ranging "360 review" during their first years as CEO.
MetroHealth has denied Steed's claim that she exceeded her performance goals. It said more than one-third of her direct reports consistently rated her as “needing improvement on almost all criteria.”
Steed's complaint alleged she was a target of discrimination and harassment by members of the board "immediately upon commencing her job." The hospital system called those claims "meritless" and said it conducted an investigation which found they were not credible.
In return, MetroHealth has leveled its own charges against her, alleging Steed made false statements, exposed trade secrets and defamed MetroHealth.
The hospital system is seeking damages for the reputational harm it says was caused by Steed, as well as to recoup legal expenses and theft of property.
