Articles Posted in Experts

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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 husband, Philip Cirrano, who died by suicide in 2015.

Binkowski alleged that her husband, who suffered from anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, was improperly discharged from Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital’s psychiatric unit 52 days after his admission. He was admitted to the hospital because he had made a December 2014 unsuccessful suicide attempt.

In January 2015, he was transferred to an independent living facility without any psychiatric staff. It was there, in February 2015, that he took his own life. The Cook County jury returned a verdict for $5 million in favor of Binkowski and the estate.
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A New York Appellate Court has held that the plaintiff in a breast cancer negligence case failed to raise a triable issue of fact and opposition to a defendant’s summary judgment motion.

Merlinda Paglinawan underwent a screening mammogram and ultrasound. The interpreting radiologist recommended a follow-up diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. Paglinawan discussed this with her obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Ing-Yann Jeng, who agreed.

The report of the follow-up test recommended a targeted ultrasound in 6-12 months. The following year, Dr. Jeng referred Paglinawan to a breast surgeon, leading to a diagnosis of Stage II breast cancer. That diagnosis was made several months later.
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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 Recovery Residences Inc. At the facility, Dr. Richard Waldman evaluated Carusillo and discontinued the lithium in addition to lowering the Seroquel dosage.

Carusillo’s longtime mental health provider was in contact with a Metro Atlanta staff member and explained that it was imperative for Carusillo to receive his medications. Nevertheless, Dr. Waldman lowered the Seroquel dosage once again.
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Alexis Dameron was held in contempt for refusing to comply with the Circuit Court of Cook County’s discovery order. Under the order, she was required to disclose the report of Dr. David Preston to the defendants Mercy Hospital & Medical Center and several physicians who were defendants in this lawsuit.

Dameron initially disclosed Dr. Preston as an Illinois Supreme Court Rule 213(f)(3) controlled expert witness in her answers to defendants’ interrogatories. She subsequently moved to
redesignate Dr. Preston as a Rule 201(b)(3) consultant and thus shield Dr. Preston’s report, which would otherwise be discoverable under Rule 213(f)(3), along with any other documents from a comparison electromyogram (EMG) and/or nerve conduction study (EMG study) Dr. Preston performed on Dameron.

The plaintiff, Dameron, filed an interlocutory appeal pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 305(b)(5) and the appellate court reversed, holding that Dr. Preston could be redesignated as a Rule 201(b)(3) consultant and that Dameron could shield Dr. Preston’s report and EMG study from discovery. The Illinois Supreme Court allowed the defendants’ petition for leave to appeal.
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A Texas Appellate Court has held that a hospital internist was not liable for medical negligence. The case arises out of his choosing not to timely diagnose a post-surgical patient’s condition and then consult with the patient’s treating neurosurgeon.

Charles Collins underwent neck surgery performed by neurosurgeon Dr. Shanker Sundraini. The afternoon of the surgery, Collins developed worrisome symptoms, including numbness and weakness in his extremities.

Hospital staff called Dr. Sundraini; nurses noted the following morning that Collins had movement in his extremities but could not grip.
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In this medical malpractice lawsuit, the state supreme court of Utah affirmed the decision of the court of appeals, which affirmed the judgment of the district court excluding the plaintiff’s proximate cause expert’s testimony. The state high court held that the district court did not err.

Richard and Deanne Taylor’s daughter, Ashley, was diagnosed at a young age with a neurological disorder that caused her to suffer from spasticity. To control this effect, Ashley received the medication Baclofen through a catheter and an implanted Baclofen pump that delivered it into the thecal sac around her spinal cord.

On April 17, 2013, Ashley woke up suffering from severe shaking in her legs. She saw a physician at the University of Utah Hospital where she received an oral dose of Baclofen. The physician did several tests, which gave Ashley more oral Baclofen and instructed her to return the next day. Although the following day’s tests did not show an obvious sign of a problem, the doctor thought there might still be a problem with the pump. During that time, Ashley kept vomiting and had difficulty keeping down oral doses of Baclofen. After further consultation, the doctor recommended surgery to replace the pump and the catheter connected to it. The surgery was performed the following day. Ashley’s sister later agreed with the statement that Ashley was “back to herself” a day after the surgery.
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In March 2014, plaintiff Dawn Verci filed a negligence lawsuit against defendants Michael High and International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No. 649. She claimed that as a result of the defendants’ negligence, she was injured and underwent medical treatment that cost more than $1 million.

The majority of her medical charges were from Dr. Richard Kube of the Prairie Spine and Pain Institute and the Prairie Surgicenter. The reasonable value of these medical services provided by Dr. Kube was a major issue of contention.

In January 2019, the trial court entered an order (1) prohibiting defendants from cross-examining Kube for his associated medical entities regarding their own cash advertised pricing at trial and (2) allowing defendants’ billing expert, Rebecca Reier, to testify at trial regarding her opinions on the reasonable value of Kube’s medical services.
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A Maryland Appellate Court has held that summary judgment for a medical negligence defendant was proper. In this case, the plaintiff chose not to comply with the state requirement by filing a certificate of merit from a health care provider when the provider has a background and specialty in medicine that is in the same or related specialty as the treating defendant physician. In this case, that medical specialty was in transplant surgeon.

Remonia Chaplin underwent a kidney transplant that was performed by Dr. Silke Niederhaus, a board-certified kidney transplant surgeon. She later sued the University of Maryland Medical System Corp., alleging that the surgeon, Dr. Niederhaus, had breached the standard of care by using an unsuitable kidney in the transplant. In support of the complaint that was filed, Chaplin filed a certificate and report of Karen Paolini, a licensed nurse practitioner and certified transplant coordinator.

The trial judge granted the defendant’s motion for summary judgment, finding that neither the certificate nor the report complied with the state law that required a certificate of merit by a health care provider in the same or similar medical specialty as the defendant doctor.
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Vincent Lowe brought this medical malpractice lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Franklin County, Mo., against Bryan J. Menges, D.O. and James D. Cassat, M.D. and their employers, Mercy Hospital East Communities (“Mercy Hospital”) and Mercy Clinic East Community (“Mercy Clinic”). In the lawsuit, they alleged that as a result of these defendants’ choosing not to timely diagnose and treat the condition known as mesenteric ischemia, which caused inadequate blood supply to Lowe’s intestines, a substantial portion of his lower bowel had to be removed leaving him with short bowel syndrome, which will require extensive ongoing medical care.

At the jury trial, the jury signed a verdict in favor of Lowe for past and future economic and noneconomic damages totaling $14,245,545. The jury made comparative fault assessments of 65% to Dr. Menges and Mercy Hospitals, 25% to Dr. Cassat and Mercy Clinic and 10% to Lowe for a net verdict of $12,820,990.

Mercy took an appeal challenging the admission of the life care plan that was prepared and submitted into evidence by Lowe’s expert.
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A Texas Appellate Court has held that a trial court had not erred in denying a defendant’s motion to dismiss based on a plaintiff expert physician’s failure to perform the procedure at issue in the case within the last 20 years.

Alice Waggoner sued physician Dr. Carl Jones, maintaining that he breached the standard of care by performing an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) before running another noninvasive test to determine whether an ERCP was necessary.

Under Texas law, the plaintiff served the defendant with an expert report by Dr. Perry Hookman, a board-certified physician in both internal medicine and gastroenterology.
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