The Illinois Appellate Court affirmed a Cook County jury verdict of $5 million for a suicide that occurred at Advocate Health and Hospital Corp. The decedent, Bozena Binkowski, sued Advocate Health in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, alleging medical negligence and wrongful death related to the death of her…
Nicholas Carusillo, 29, had a history of bipolar affective disorder, manic depression and substance abuse. After experiencing signs of mania and behavioral outbursts, he was admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit. His medication, including Seroquel and lithium, were increased until his condition stabilized. He was then discharged to Metro Atlanta…
David Scheer, the father of Matthew Scheer, drove his son to the emergency room at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center because David noticed that his son had added some disturbing posts on social media. Matthew was 26 at the time. He was also suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations. Matthew…
Michelle Phibbs, 29, had a history of mental illness. She was admitted to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare, a state-run psychiatric hospital, for an inpatient stay after experiencing difficulty following the death of a close family friend. A psychiatrist diagnosed bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and alcohol abuse, among other problems, and…
A 16-year-old girl was incarcerated at a county juvenile detention center.She had a history of chronic depression and other mental health issues, was noted to be irritable and at risk for self-injurious behavior and suicide. During her approximately two-month stay, this young woman was placed on suicide watch many times. Medications…
Gregory Cotter was 42 years old and had a history of alcoholism and mental health problems. He was also diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. He had attempted suicide. After attempting suicide, Cotter was admitted to St. Francis Hospital where Dr. Sadaf Ahsan, the former director of the psychiatry department, treated…
John Dux was alleged to have committed suicide because of a medical-malpractice incident at the Hines Veterans Administration Hospital in Maywood, Ill. The lawsuit brought by his daughter was filed against the United States government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which included a claim for wrongful death. The parties…
Joel Burnette was just 40 years old with bipolar disorder and other mental health issues. He underwent a lumbar epidural steroid injection at a pain clinic to combat his back pain. The following week Burnette developed a lump at the epidural injection site. Burnette informed nurses at the pain clinic,…
Anthony Imparato Sr. arrived at the University of Chicago’s emergency room on March 27, 2005. It was the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death. He complained of insomnia for five days, depression and financial ruin because of his gambling debt. Mr. Imparato was 51 and a Chicago firefighter. He was seen in the…