iMalpractice is a threat that not only hangs over the medical community but also the patients and their families. Below are just a few of the highest medical malpractice settlements in recent history.
Johns Hopkins Hospital
In 2014, this hospital in Baltimore, Maryland had to pay a settlement of $190 million to 8,000 plaintiffs. This settlement was after it was revealed that Dr. Nikita Levy, a gynecologist who had worked there for 25 years, had been using surveillance equipment to photograph his patients secretly. Dr. Nikita was fired in 2013 and committed suicide less than a fortnight later.
The City of New York and EMS
The city was forced to part with a $172 million settlement in 2014 that was paid to Tiffany Applewhite, age 29. The incident occurred when Ms. Applewhite’s mother, Samantha Applewhite, called 911 in response to Ms. Applewhite going into anaphylactic shock. The EMS ambulance responded to the 911 call without proper life support equipment. Due to their delay to get her to a medical facility, Tiffany was left paralyzed and suffered severe brain damage. The jury awarded her compensation for past and future pain and medical expenses.
Winthrop University Hospital
This hospital in Mineola, New York, was mandated to pay $62 million to Stacey Galette in 2014. It was after Stacey underwent an ectopic pregnancy surgery and ended up in intensive care and suffered three heart attacks. She ended up with skin grafts, a colostomy, and two below-the-knee amputations. The jury found the responsible physician guilty of straying from the required care standards.
Dr. Ferdinard A. Ofodile
In 2010, Ferdinand A. Ofodile, M.D. performed a thigh operation on Allison Hugh, a woman from the Bronx, which ended up as a botched surgery. The patient was left with a deformed labia and vagina. After the jury found him guilty of failing to advise his patient on the risks associated with the surgery and using an inappropriate surgical technique, he was ordered to pay $60 million as compensation to Allison.
Confined to a wheelchair
The University of Chicago received a lawsuit that led to a jury awarding a $53 million to a 12-year-old boy and his mother. This settlement was for a brain injury that the boy suffered at birth, leaving him with cerebral palsy. The boy can neither feed nor care for himself and is now confined to a wheelchair.
Jury Awards over $44 Million after Brain Hemorrhage
Andrea Tate, a former patient of The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, was awarded $44.1 million after reacting to heparin, an anticoagulant drug. She was being treated for a benign tumor on her brain and ended up suffering a brain hemorrhage causing a catastrophic brain injury. Andrew Tate was left unable to care for herself.
25 Surgeries Later
In 2011, a 6-year-old boy was left with cerebral palsy and permanent brain damage after undergoing 25 surgeries in Chicago, Illinois. The boy was born with some health problems that were not life-threatening. It is alleged that Dr. Mark Holterman used some unproven techniques to carry out several surgeries. His family filed a lawsuit where they accused the doctor of acting negligently. They settled their medical malpractice case for $30 million in 2016.
Settlement for Baby’s Injury
A mother from San Diego and her 3-year-old daughter were awarded a $20-million settlement, following a feeding-tube error after the baby was born. Sophia was born premature but healthy in 2013. However, just three days later, she was in ICU, pale and immobile. She suffered brain damage due to too much glucose coming through her feeding tube, causing an imbalance. Sophia now has cerebral palsy as a result of nurses not calibrating the feeding-tube machine correctly.
