Medical Malpractice

A California jury awarded $6 million in punitive damages to the family of James Doherty, a 72-year-old cancer patient who died after developing a severe infected pressure ulcer at Alameda Healthcare & Wellness Center. The verdict found the skilled nursing facility and its management company liable for neglecting basic care requirements, including failing to reposition the bedridden patient regularly. Staff missed up to 37% of required repositioning sessions despite knowing Doherty was at high risk for skin breakdown. His wound progressed from minor skin damage to a stage IV pressure ulcer that caused fatal sepsis.

This medical malpractice lawsuit arose from a series of clinical encounters beginning in October 2019. Alexander R. Sommers, a resident of North Haven, sought treatment for sudden visual impairments in his right eye, describing a shadow like an "eclipse" blocking his vision. The plaintiff alleged that healthcare providers at Yale New Haven Health and the Yale Eye Center failed to timely and accurately diagnose a retinal detachment, initially misidentifying the issue as a neurological condition. This delay allegedly led to permanent and disabling damage, including a severe MRSA infection following eventual surgery. The defense maintained that the medical team acted appropriately based on the clinical information available at the time. Following a trial in November 2025, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendants, finding no liability for the hospital or the individual physicians.

A Connecticut Superior Court jury unanimously ruled in favor of Nuvance Health Medical Practice and infectious disease specialist Dr. Qurat Mudassar on December 16, 2025. The estate of Norman Peters alleged that the defendants negligently diagnosed him as HIV-positive based on a false positive test and prescribed unnecessary antiretroviral medication for six months. The plaintiff claimed Peters suffered severe emotional distress, depression, and anxiety from believing he was HIV-positive when subsequent testing proved he was not. The defense successfully argued that the treatment decisions met the standard of care given the clinical circumstances at the time.

A Connecticut jury delivered a defense verdict on October 30, 2025, in a wrongful birth medical malpractice lawsuit filed by Lyanne Santos-Reyes against her obstetric care providers. Santos-Reyes alleged that Dr. Rachel L. Leonardi and Naugatuck Valley Women's Health Specialists failed to detect her daughter's spina bifida during prenatal ultrasounds in 2018, depriving her of the opportunity to terminate the pregnancy. The plaintiff claimed the August 2018 ultrasounds failed to properly visualize the fetal spine, and she was never informed about incomplete anatomical views or offered additional testing. Her daughter was born with meningomyelocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, requiring lifetime care. The defendants denied all negligence claims, and the jury found in their favor on all issues.

A Connecticut jury awarded $80,000 to Barbara Zup after determining that Dr. Beenish Orr and Smile Center deviated from the dental standard of care during a series of implant procedures performed in 2021. Zup suffered severe complications, including infections, implant perforations into her sinus and nasal cavity, and ultimately sepsis requiring hospitalization. Subsequent evaluations revealed improperly placed implants, exposed threads, ill-fitting prostheses, and infected surgical sites. The jury found the Defendants liable for negligent treatment planning, execution, and follow-up care, awarding $60,000 in economic damages and $20,000 in non-economic damages.

On November 17, 2025, a jury in the Circuit Court for Duval County, Florida, returned a defense verdict in favor of Dr. Jack John Messina. The Plaintiff, Louise Tyson, representing the estate of her late husband Paul W. Tyson, filed a medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit alleging that negligence during a 2018 heart surgery led to Mr. Tyson's death. The complaint argued that the medical team failed to properly monitor anti-coagulation levels and manage the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system, causing a massive stroke due to blood clots. Specifically, the plaintiff claimed Dr. Messina, as the surgeon, failed to ensure the CPB system was safe before use. However, the jury found that there was no negligence on the part of Dr. Messina that was a legal cause of injury to the decedent.

Rebecca Newman, representing the estate of Margaret Derderian, sued Dr. Matthew Brown, Dr. Anne Lally, and Starling Physicians, P.C. for medical malpractice and wrongful death. The complaint alleged that Dr. Brown failed to meet the standard of care during a fistulogram procedure on the elderly patient, specifically by failing to recognize the high risk of hemorrhage from a fragile vein and discharging her without proper observation. The patient died days later from exsanguination. The defense argued that the treatment met professional standards. A New Britain jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendants, finding no negligence.

The Orange County Superior Court resolved the medical malpractice lawsuit of Tanisha R. Jackett and Kelvin Jackett v. The Regents of the University of California with a final, negotiated settlement of $550,000. The suit centered on the negligent care Mrs. Jackett received during a complex, nearly twenty-hour Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flap procedure at the University of California Irvine Medical Center in October 2020. The Plaintiffs alleged that the medical staff failed to meet the proper standard of care, arguing that improper positioning during the lengthy surgery caused serious, lasting injury. This negligence resulted in Mrs. Jackett suffering from severe headaches, eventually diagnosed as occipital neuralgia, along with hair loss and persistent swelling, injuries she continued to suffer from. Her husband, Kelvin Jackett, sought damages for loss of consortium, as his wife's injuries had severely disrupted their marital relationship. The Regents of the University of California denied the claims, raising defenses that invoked California's MICRA laws, which cap non-economic damages at $250,000 for medical negligence. Despite the strong defense, the parties ultimately negotiated the six-figure settlement, which the Court approved, bringing the high-stakes personal injury case to a conclusion before a jury trial.

A Florida jury awarded Mohamed Abd El Rahman $3,530,250 after finding that orthopedic surgeon Dr. Obinna Adigweme failed to obtain proper informed consent before performing a right hip replacement surgery in July 2020. The plaintiff developed nerve damage and foot drop following the procedure at Orlando Orthopaedic Center. While the jury rejected claims of surgical negligence, it determined that Abd El Rahman would not have consented to the operation if the doctor disclosed all material risks. The verdict included $3.5 million for pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life, plus over $30,000 in medical expenses.

Michael Errar filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Steven H. Katz and Inphynet South Broward LLC following a January 2016 emergency room visit at Memorial Hospital West. Errar presented with severe leg pain and a history of vascular issues but was discharged with a diagnosis of groin pain. Three days later, he returned requiring a leg amputation due to ischemia. Errar alleged Dr. Katz failed to properly diagnose, assess, and monitor his condition, leading to premature discharge. Following a trial in November 2025, a jury found Dr. Katz negligent and awarded Errar $5 million in damages, covering past and future medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.

The County of Riverside and Riverside University Health System-Medical Center agreed to pay $2,250,000 to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by Lovell Avery. The case, filed in July 2023, alleged that negligent medical treatment and breaches in professional care standards caused Avery’s lasting physical and emotional injuries. The complaint named the County and several physicians as defendants. Both sides engaged in discovery before reaching an out-of-court settlement that avoided a jury trial. The agreement brought closure to a complex dispute over the standard of care in a county-run hospital.

The lengthy medical malpractice trial, Weinberg, Harlan, Co-Executor of the Estate Et Al v. The Stamford Hospital Et Al (FBT-CV20-6099514-S), reached a decisive conclusion on September 18, 2025. The lawsuit, initially filed against multiple parties, ultimately centered on the claim that Dr. Michael Bernstein, M.D., was medically negligent in the treatment of Robert Joseph Weinberg, who died in May 2018. The Estate of Robert Weinberg had sought substantial damages, arguing that the physician’s actions fell below the acceptable standard of care and directly caused the patient's wrongful death. Following the presentation of conflicting expert testimony regarding the complexity of Mr. Weinberg’s medical condition and the appropriateness of the care rendered, the Bridgeport jury returned a verdict firmly in favor of the defendant, Dr. Bernstein. The jury found that the plaintiffs failed to meet their burden of proof, thus dismissing the claims of medical negligence and absolving the doctor of liability.