Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Tracker

Birth injury case in which failure to perform a timely emergency C-section when fetal heart rate tracings showed clear distress caused severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and permanent cerebral palsy in a full-term infant. Plaintiff's experts testified that the decision-to-incision time exceeded 90 minutes when the standard required 30 minutes. The child requires 24-hour care for life. Jury awarded $28M in future care costs and $7M in pain and suffering.

Failure to diagnose Stage I pancreatic cancer during three separate primary care visits over 14 months, during which time the cancer progressed to Stage IV. Plaintiff's oncology expert testified that 5-year survival probability dropped from 80% at Stage I to under 3% at Stage IV. Settlement reached during trial after jury was empaneled. Maricopa County Superior Court.

Surgical error during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) caused transection of the common bile duct, leading to bile peritonitis, multiple corrective surgeries, liver transplantation, and ultimately permanent hepatic failure. Jury found the surgeon deviated from the standard of care in technique and in failing to convert to open surgery when the anatomy was unclear. Texas non-economic cap applied; economic damages drove the verdict.

Emergency room physician failed to diagnose a massive pulmonary embolism in a 44-year-old woman presenting with shortness of breath and chest pain, attributing her symptoms to anxiety. She was discharged and died 6 hours later. Plaintiff's estate presented evidence that a CT pulmonary angiography ordered at presentation would have detected the PE and that anticoagulation therapy had a 95% survival probability at that stage. Wrongful death verdict for surviving spouse and three children.

Sepsis misdiagnosis in a 58-year-old patient admitted with abdominal pain. Nursing and physician staff failed to implement the sepsis protocol despite elevated lactate levels, altered mental status, and fever. Patient progressed to septic shock, multi-organ failure, and required amputation of both lower legs. Expert testimony established a 90% survival rate with 6-hour sepsis bundle compliance. Settlement reached at mediation after expert reports were exchanged.

Pathology malpractice — a biopsy specimen from a 61-year-old man's prostate was misread as benign by the hospital pathologist. A review 18 months later correctly identified Gleason 9 (Grade Group 5) prostate cancer, by which time it had metastasized to the spine and lymph nodes. Plaintiff's expert testified that at the time of the misread biopsy, the cancer was locally confined and potentially curable with surgery or radiation. Cuyahoga County jury verdict. Ohio non-economic cap reduced the award from the jury's $6.4M finding.

Anesthesia error during elective knee replacement surgery — anesthesiologist failed to review the patient's documented allergy to a muscle relaxant agent, administered the contraindicated drug, and failed to timely treat the resulting anaphylaxis, causing prolonged cardiac arrest and permanent anoxic brain injury. Washington has no non-economic damage cap. Settlement reached two weeks before trial date.

Medication error — a hospitalized patient with renal failure received a standard-dose regimen of a renally-cleared antibiotic rather than a dose-adjusted regimen, causing acute kidney injury requiring dialysis and permanent 40% reduction in renal function. Plaintiff's pharmacology expert testified that dose adjustment protocols were in place and clearly indicated by the patient's baseline creatinine levels. Pennsylvania has no non-economic cap; settlement agreed during mediation.