Available in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento
Medical Malpractice
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
- Birth Defect/Negligent Prescription:
Plaintiff sued a physician who prescribed Provera as a pregnancy test when the Plaintiff was 16 years old. She gave birth to a child with a unilateral withered arm just below the elbow. Plaintiff contended that the Provera acted as a teratogen, causing the birth defect. The case was tried for 25 days before a Sacramento jury. The case required testimony from numerous experts, including teratologists, obstetrics and gynecology physicians, epidemiologists, and a veterinary scientist from U.C. Davis.
- Failure to Diagnose:
Plaintiff widow and her son brought a medical negligence case arising out of medical provider’s failure to diagnose an aortic dissection that resulted in the death of Plaintiff’s husband. The decedent presented in the emergency room with the classic signs of a myocardial infarction (heart attack due to coronary artery disease) and was admitted to the telemetry unit for observation. As part of the work-up, medical staff took a portable anterior/posterior chest x-ray that revealed a widened mediastinum.
- Six-Level Vertebrae Fusion/Negligence:
Plaintiff was an emergency room nurse who had multiple-level cervical disc problems that required surgery. Defendant surgeon performed a six-level fusion of her vertebrae from C-2 through C-7 using cadaver bone and a titanium plate. Plaintiff alleged that multiple x-rays demonstrated that the Defendant screwed the upper portion of the hardware directly into the soft tissue of the C-2/C-3 disc instead of obtaining a “purchase” into bone. Over a six-week period, the entire apparatus became dislodged and ultimately prevented the Plaintiff from swallowing.
- Latex Allergy:
Served as the mediator in this case brought on behalf of an 11-year-old boy with spina bifida. Plaintiff was admitted to the hospital for surgical placement of Harrington rods. Although Plaintiff’s medical chart clearly documented his allergy to latex, Defendant surgeon used latex products during the surgery, causing catastrophic injury. The case settled for a significant cash sum.
