What Are Some Examples of Famous Medical Malpractice Cases?

Medical malpractice can be painful, upsetting, expensive, and potentially fatal for a patient. However, if you experienced serious medical negligence, you could have the right to pursue compensation for medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.

Read on to learn about famous medical malpractice cases and how you, too, could get justice and compensation by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Our medical malpractice lawyers are determined to help victims get what they deserve and need to rebuild their lives. Discover your legal options today by contacting us for a free case review.

Famous Medical Malpractice Cases

Medical malpractice cases are on the rise. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, medical negligence is now responsible for almost as many deaths as the two biggest killers in this country: heart disease and cancer. Some of the most famous medical malpractice cases in recent years include:

$216.7 Million in Damages for Misdiagnosis 

The 2006 medical malpractice settlement for Allan Navarro is one of the largest medical malpractice payouts in recent years. According to the Tampa Bay newspaper, Allan Navarro was left permanently disabled after a wrong diagnosis in the emergency room.

Navarro had visited the clinic complaining of symptoms indicative of a stroke but was sent home with the wrong diagnosis of sinusitis and a prescription of painkillers. The resulting injuries of this misdiagnosis left Navarro permanently confined to a wheelchair. The medical malpractice lawsuit resulted in $100.1 million in punitive damages and $116.7 million in compensation for Navarro and his family.  

$135 Million in Damages for a Surgery Mistake

In 2018, 10-year-old Faith DeGrand recovered $135 million in damages after suffering paralysis due to medical malpractice at the Children’s Hospital of Detroit Medical Center. The medical malpractice incident occurred while Faith was undergoing scoliosis surgery in 2010. Instead of removing wrongly inserted rods from her back, the surgeon waited ten days to correct the mistake. As a result, Faith suffered permanent paralysis and will need lifelong assistance with daily living tasks. 

Examples of Morgan & Morgan’s Recent Malpractice Wins 

We have the resources and attorneys at our disposal to handle a variety of medical malpractice cases. Some of our famous medical malpractice cases include: 

Failure to Diagnose or Late Diagnosis

One of Morgan & Morgan’s medical malpractice lawyers helped recover $28.5 million in damages for the victim and family in Tampa. The case arose due to failure to diagnose and treat encephalitis, a potentially deadly brain inflammation.

Our attorneys fought for a settlement of $9.278 million for injuries caused due to a delayed cancer diagnosis. The cancer was allowed to spread and cause organ damage due to a medical provider’s failure to diagnose the disease. 

Morgan & Morgan’s Delray Beach malpractice lawyers achieved a $6.33 million verdict in the case of a woman suffering a cardiac arrest and subsequent permanent vegetative state. A doctor had failed to diagnose and treat the woman’s heart disease, leading to her permanent injury. 

Medication Error 

A 26-week-old premature newborn was injured due to a medication overdose in a Florida hospital. Our medical malpractice attorneys helped the family recover $19.2 million in damages.

Birth Injury

The family of a baby seriously injured in Florida due to an obstetrician delaying a life-saving C-section won a verdict of $38.75 million with our help. 

Morgan & Morgan’s medical malpractice attorneys can handle all types of medical malpractice cases. Get in touch if you or a loved one suffered injuries due to an avoidable medical mistake.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Most medical treatments come with accepted risks, and a bad outcome does not necessarily qualify for a medical malpractice lawsuit. To have a medical malpractice case, victims must prove that a medical professional acted negligently and failed to apply a reasonable standard of care when treating a patient. 

Proving a medical malpractice case typically involves medical experts determining whether a doctor made an avoidable mistake or acted recklessly. If a patient suffered injuries and financial damages due to a medical provider’s negligence, they could seek compensation by filing a lawsuit.  

Common Examples of Medical Malpractice  

Medical malpractice cases come in many different forms, such as: 

Late Diagnosis

Late diagnosis and misdiagnosis can lead to devastating complications for patients. A delayed cancer diagnosis or misdiagnosed heart attack, for example, can be fatal.

Surgery and Anesthesia Mistakes

Every surgery comes with risks which can involve infection, pain, and even death. However, if a surgery or anesthesia error occurs due to the carelessness of a medical professional, victims could have legal recourse. Examples of surgery negligence include:

• Operating on the wrong patient
• Surgery on the wrong side or the wrong organ 
• Failing to monitor vital signs during the operation and afterwards
• Using too much or too little anesthesia
• Forgetting equipment inside a patient’s body 
• Unsanitary operating practices
• Lack of adequate aftercare

Birth Injuries

Birth injuries can occur when a doctor fails to recognize that an urgent C-section is required, for example. Injuries can also occur due to the inappropriate use of assistive devices such as forceps or vacuum pumps. According to Stanford Children’s Health, common birth injuries include:

• Facial paralysis
• Fractures
• Swelling of the brain
• Nerve damage

If labor goes on for too long, a baby can suffer oxygen deprivation, potentially resulting in permanent brain damage and disability. 

The emotional and financial fallout of a serious birth condition can be crushing for a family. Morgan & Morgan can fight for the funds you need to secure the future of your child. 

Damages in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits 

While it can be challenging to generalize about the value of settlements in medical malpractice claims, victims could qualify for various damages. Examples of non-economic damages you could pursue:

• Emotional anguish
• Physical pain and suffering
• Reduction of life quality
• Permanent disability
• Loss of a limb 
• Scarring and disfigurement

Economic damages are designed to reimburse victims for healthcare costs and other financial damages arising from an injury and can include: 

• Medical bills and future medical costs
• Lost income
• Medical transportation costs
• Costs to modify the home or vehicle
• Out-of-pocket expenses

You could receive other compensation, depending on your specific medical malpractice case.