Alexander v. Santiel et al

Case Background

Plaintiff Michael Alexander filed a medical malpractice case against Defendants Dr. Francisco Santiel and Dr. Danny Bourgeois, alleging a breach of standard of care. The case was heard before the Louisiana District Court, Nineteenth Judicial District. Judge Wilson E. Fields presided over this case. [Case number: 713126]

Cause

On January 30, 2015, Michael Alexander experienced severe pain in his right upper abdomen throughout the day. By evening, the pain became unbearable, prompting him to visit the ER at Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary at 10:05 p.m.

At the hospital, Alexander underwent an evaluation and a CT scan, which revealed complicated appendicitis. Dr. Francisco Santiel, the on-call ER physician, was notified of Alexander’s condition around midnight. Santiel assessed that Alexander was stable and planned to perform an appendectomy the following morning.

The next day, Santiel carried out the appendectomy around noon, approximately 12 hours after first learning of the appendicitis. During the surgery, Santiel discovered that the appendix had ruptured. Although the surgery was successful, Alexander developed an abscess at the site of the appendicitis in the days that followed. Dr. Danny Bourgeois took over Alexander’s care post-surgery.

By February 13, 2014, Alexander had lost confidence in his medical team at Lane Regional and requested a transfer to a hospital in Baton Rouge. He spent several more days hospitalized there, describing his stay and recovery as protracted, tortuous, and unnecessarily lengthy.

Damages

Alexander sought general as well as special damages including medical expenses, loss of wages, suffering and pain, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. Alexander linked $ 50,130 in medical bills to the additional hospitalization.

Key Arguments and Proceedings

Legal Representation

  • Plaintiff(s): Michael Alexander
    • Counsel for Plaintiff(s): J. Neale DeGravelles | David Abboud Thomas
    • Experts for Plaintiff(s): Dr. Vadam Sherman
  • Defendant(s): Dr. Francisco Santiel | Dr. Danny Bourgeois
    • Counsel for Defendant(s): Chris J. LeBlanc | Hunter J. Tassin
    • Experts for Defendant(s): Dr. Stephen Gordon | Dr. Thomas Cook

Claims

Alexander alleged that Santiel had breached the standard of care owed. He claimed that Santiel made a mistake by delaying the appendectomy for 12 hours, which led to the appendix rupturing. According to Alexander, had Santiel performed the surgery immediately, the appendix would not have ruptured. Consequently, he argued that this delay caused a more complicated recovery period.

Defense

Santiel explained that when Alexander arrived on the evening of January 30, 2015, his vital signs were stable, and the CT scan showed no evidence of a perforation. It was only during the surgery the next day that Santiel discovered the perforation. Santiel clarified that the perforation was “walled off,” which made it invisible on the CT scan. Additionally, Dr. Bourgeois denied that the timing of the post-surgical imaging constituted malpractice or contributed to any injury.

Expert Testimony

Alexander’s surgical expert was Dr. Vadam Sherman, Houston, TX. The defendants relied on Dr Stephen Gordon and Thomas Cook as their experts at trial.

Jury Verdict

The case was tried for four days in Baton Rouge. On August 1, 2024, the Louisiana jury found that Santiel had breached the standard of care and that this breach caused injury to Alexander. However, they cleared Bourgeois of any liability.

The jury then considered damages solely related to Santiel. Although the jury did not award damages for Alexander’s pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life, they granted him the following damages:

  • Medical bills: $50,130
  • Lost Wages: $1,860
  • Mental anguish: $10,000

In total, the jury awarded Alexander $61,990 against Santiel.

Court Documents:

Available upon request