RI Jury Awards $2 Million for Medical Malpractice

PROVIDENCE — A jury has awarded $2 million to a Warwick, RI, man who claimed he suffered brain damage due to substandard care after open heart surgery at Rhode Island Hospital. A Superior Court jury awarded him $2 million following nearly two days of deliberation and a 19-day trial, according to this Providence Journal report. "With interest, the award could total up to $3.6 million, according to court documents," states the article.

Top Med Mal Verdicts & Settlements in MA for 2008*

This via Law Links | Health Links: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has compiled its Top Verdicts & Settlements for 2008 (* as of its June 2, 2008 issue) and medical malpractice lawsuits are again prominent. Four of the top five settlements were medical malpractice cases:

$6 million for birth injury
$5 million for delay in diagnosis of cancer
$5 million for misdiagnosed cardiac arrest
$4.85 million for birth injury

With the fifth being a fishing accident.

Of the top five verdicts, three were personal injury lawsuits, one is a medical malpractice case ($9.1 million for medical negligence related to thyroid surgery) and one is a patent infringement case. Boston med mal law firm Lubin & Meyer represented plaintiffs in 4 of the 5 largest medical malpractice related verdicts and settlements for 2008 so far this year. Halstrom Law Offices represented the other settlement.

Milwaukee Jury Awards $10 Million in Hospital Malpractice

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on a jury award for a man with multiple sclerosis who suffered injury as the result of a spinal injection while in the hospital. According to the report, nearly half the award is for pain and suffering. It is interesting to note that the injury occurred shortly before a $750,000 cap on damages for pain and suffering went into effect. For more information, go to the article: $10 million awarded in hospital injury case.

North Carolina To Publish Med Mal Data?

The News & Observer reports that the North Carolina Medical Board proposes posting physician malpractice data to the web in an article: Doctors fight malpractice Web site.

"The Web site would note that malpractice payments don't always suggest negligence. And it would note that some specialities, such as obstetrics and neurosurgery, tend to draw more lawsuits than other fields.

The site would also state whether the medical board had publicly disciplined the doctor, giving an indication of whether the malpractice payment was for negligence.

If the board approves the rule after a public hearing June 30, then by next year, North Carolina could become the 23rd state to disclose all medical malpractice payments."