Jury Clears Podiatrist in Risi Foot Surgery Malpractice Case

Case Background

The lawsuit arose after Peter Risi, a resident of Cheshire, Connecticut, sought treatment for long-standing heel pain that had troubled him for over two years. On June 25, 2019, he visited podiatrist Dr. Jonathan Key at Connecticut Foot and Ankle Associates in Woodbridge. Dr. Key diagnosed him with plantar fasciitis and recommended surgery.

On August 8, 2019, Dr. Key performed a radical plantar fasciectomy at the Middlesex Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Surgery. After waking from surgery, Risi reported immediate numbness along the outer portion of his right foot. In the months that followed, his symptoms spread. He complained of numbness in his fifth toe, tingling, swelling sensations, and eventually pain that radiated up his leg to his knee and lower back.

Risi and his wife, Rebecca, filed suit in November 2020, alleging negligence in Dr. Key’s surgical care and seeking damages for permanent injury, medical costs, and loss of marital companionship.

Cause that led to the dispute

The Plaintiffs argued that Dr. Key departed from accepted medical standards by performing an unnecessary radical fasciectomy and by removing too much of the plantar fascia. They also claimed he damaged both the lateral and medial plantar nerves during the procedure.

Their complaint asserted that Dr. Key’s actions caused persistent numbness, muscle atrophy, altered gait, severe lumbar pain, and permanent impairment of Peter’s right foot and leg. They alleged that Connecticut Foot and Ankle Associates bore responsibility as Dr. Key’s employer.

Rebecca Risi brought her own claims for loss of consortium, arguing her husband’s condition deprived her of comfo