$5.9 Million Dollar Verdict Upheld On Appeal for Client Suffering from Neurogenic Bowel and Bladder

I am happy to report that one of my medical negligence verdicts was upheld on appeal recently. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals affirmed my and my former partner Ken Suggs’s verdict of $5.9 million dollars that we obtained on behalf of a woman and her husband where the health care providers failed to treat a blood clot compressing her spinal cord until it was too late. Mrs. Ford now suffers from an inability to control her bowels and bladder, known as neurogenic bowel and bladder. On the first issue presented, the appellate court stated, “[t]hat Dr. Dennis too may have been negligent in failing to order prompt surgery even without confirmation of the CT scan by an MRI, as the jury found, did not nullify the Hospital’s fault in not timely conducting the test he had ordered.” On the second issue presented relating to the verdict in the amount of almost $1 million dollars for the husband’s loss of consortium claim, the appellate court stated “[t]he injuries to Mrs. Ford were well documented in the testimony, and it would have required little imagination for the jury to evaluate the effect of that condition upon her relations with her husband.”

I cannot be happier for my clients, who are now able to collect on this judgment, plus the interest from the time of the verdict to present. When Ken and I called them to let them know of the appellate decision, it was quite a joyous telephone call. We obtained this verdict in May 2005. The defendant first filed post-trial motions, which the trial court denied. The defendant then noted his appeal, and the trial court’s and jury’s decisions were affirmed. Our clients finally now have some closure of their medical malpractice legal battle, and can try to move on with their lives in the best way they can. The monetary verdict of this jury of their peers can go a long way in assisting Mrs. Ford with round-the-clock caretakers and other care needs that she so desperately requires.

Christian Mester
Goldberg, Finnegan & Mester, LLC
(301) 589-2999 extension 125

If you or a loved one have been injured, make sure you are aware of your rights. Contact the lawyers at Goldberg, Finnegan & Mester, LLC toll free at 1-888-213-8140 for a free initial consultation.