Woman Awarded In Medical Malpractice Case

Our firm has a well-earned reputation for taking on and winning complicated medical malpractice cases.

The mother of a 45-year-old woman filed a malpractice lawsuit on her behalf against the three hospitals that treated her daughter in 2004. After her treatment at the hospitals, the woman and mother of two, suffered brain damage. In May of 2012 a State Supreme Court jury awarded $120 million to Martin, agreeing that the hospitals were at fault.

She sought treatment at the hospitals after suffering a seizure. The jury allocated responsibility among the hospitals, deciding 50 percent liability goes to  Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, and 40 percent goes to Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. Four and 5 percent was given to one of the neurologists at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center and the hospital itself.

Her attorney related that the hospitals did not properly manage her medications, were not fast enough in treating emergency situations, and failed to provide other necessary treatments. She was eventually diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, but not before her condition worsened and she developed facial swelling, as well as swelling in her eyes and throat. Stevens-Johnson is a rare skin disorder that is usually very severe.

Though she, prior to her condition, worked as a claims adjuster, making about $40,000 a year, the jury awarded her $10 million in lost earnings. She was also awarded $5 million for past medical costs, though her medical expenses since 2004 were covered by Medicaid and totaled $583,000. The city does plan to appeal the decision. The deputy counsel for the Health and Hospitals Corporation for the city, said that the “amount of this judgment is not consistent with the facts and the law.” The Health and Hospitals Corporation stated that they believed the awards in this case were excessive given some of these circumstances, but would not discuss specifics.

Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney

People seek medical help when they are at their most vulnerable, and entrust their care to doctors who have had years of training. Medical malpractice attorneys specialize in protecting your rights and holding hospitals, doctors, and other medical personnel responsible for meeting the standard of care that you deserve. In addition, experienced medical malpractice attorneys understand how to investigate your case, protect evidence, negotiate a settlement, or present your case to a jury in a way that will get you maximum compensation. The severity and type of damage you have sustained as the result of the malpractice, as well as the way that this has affected your life, will all influence how your attorney determines a damage amount.

The St. Louis medical malpractice lawyers at the Zevan and Davidson Law Firm have represented a wide variety of medical negligence victims in St. Louis, Missouri and Illinois. Our firm has a well-earned reputation for taking on and winning complicated medical malpractice cases.

Call us today at (314) 588-7200 for a private consultation or fill out our brief online contact form.