HEALTH CARE

NME Settles Lawsuit: Santa Monica-based National Medical Enterprises has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed against a now-defunct Texas psychiatric hospital by a teen-ager who claimed he was taken from his home and held against his will for five days. The case, involving a Live Oak, Tex., youth named Jeramy Harrell, stirred a public outcry that eventually led to mental health industry reforms in Texas. The San Antonio Express News, citing court records, reported the settlement’s amount. Christi Sulzbach, NME’s assistant general counsel, confirmed the agreement but would not discuss the size of the settlement.