Los Angeles Jury Clears Doctors in Simon Wrongful Death

 Case Background

The case unfolded in Los Angeles Superior Court, where six members of the Simon family brought a wrongful death lawsuit. They alleged that medical negligence at Glendale Adventist Medical Center caused the death of their relative, 77-year-old Razmi Simon.

Razmi tripped and fell on November 19, 2018, breaking his hip. He was taken by ambulance to Glendale Adventist. His son, Theod Simonian, met him there. Doctors operated on his hip the next day. At first, his recovery seemed positive. The hospital kept him for monitoring, planning to discharge him once he stabilized.

However, his condition soon worsened. According to his family, he complained of chest pain the day after surgery. His family reported it to nurses, but staff initially dismissed the complaints. Later, doctors confirmed he had a heart attack. Medical records showed he had lost significant blood after surgery. His cardiologist ordered a transfusion and additional tests, including an angiography.

Over the next two days, Simon’s health spiraled downward. His kidneys failed, he was sedated and placed on dialysis, and he remained connected to multiple machines. On November 23, while nurses changed his catheter, his blood pressure dropped, and he went into cardiac arrest. He did not recover.

His family believed his death resulted from negligent care. They filed their complaint in January 2020, naming Glendale Adventist Medical Center and affiliated Adventist Health entities as Defendants. Later, individual physicians including Dr. Vahe Badalian and Dr. Michael Abdulian were drawn into the case.

Cause

The family alleged medical malpractice, wrongful death, and negligence. They claimed the hospital and its staff failed