Our New York City medical malpractice law office knows that trust is essential in the medical arena.
Every patient is relying on the knowledge and expertise of a trained professional when seeking help with that which is most important to them: their own health and well-being.
This level of trust increases exponentially when surgery is involved, not only because of the seriousness of the procedure, but also because the patient is extremely vulnerable while under anesthesia.
It is this vulnerability and this trust that makes a recent Texas case involving the secret and deceptive use of a surgical resident especially disturbing.
Lauren Williams, then age thirty-nine, underwent a hysterectomy in August 2008 at Kelsey-Seybold Medical Clinic in Houston, Texas.
Ms. Williams had been informed that her surgery would be performed by Dr. Jim Patrick Benge, an experienced gynecologist who had been practicing medicine for sixteen years at the time.
However, once Ms. Williams was anesthetized and thus unaware, a surgical resident performed at least half of the procedure.
During the operation, the first of the kind performed by the resident, two of the patient’s organs were perforated.
This fact was not discovered for three days and Ms. Williams became septic during that interval.
She spent three weeks in a coma, had to re-learn basic functions such as walking, and will suffer a lifetime of consequences including the need for a permanent colostomy.
These injuries persist despite five follow-up surgeries.
Understandably the woman filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in the aftermath of the situation.
In court, the medical center and Dr. Benge asserted that it was acceptable for the resident to perform the surgery.
The jury rejected this assertion and awarded Ms. Williams a $1.9 million verdict against the medical center.
These damages seek to compensate the patient for past and future medical costs as well as the emotional impact of what has undoubtedly been quite the ordeal for the woman.
As of this writing, the hospital had not commented on the verdict and there is no indication whether an appeal will be forthcoming.
Of course, doctors need to learn their craft.
Every skilled surgeon began as a medical student and a doctor must perform a first operation before he or she can have performed many.
Our New York City medical malpractice law firm understands this completely and knows that hands-on medical education is crucial.
However, we cannot condone hiding the fact that a junior surgeon may be performing a surgery.
Patients have a right to be informed if the doctor they’ve met and trust will not be the only surgeon responsible for the operation.
It is also important that junior doctors receive proper supervision to ensure procedures are done safely.
Additionally, proper post-operative care is crucial to preventing a surgical error from becoming a lifetime problem for the patient.
When a patient’s trust is violated by substandard medical care, a lawsuit may be appropriate.
In the case of Ms. Williams, she was deceived by her doctor and the medical center and the deception led to her surgery being botched.
I know all too well that no amount of money can undo a misdiagnosis or surgical error.
But compensation serves two very important functions in our society:
First, it ensures that a family receives all of the financial support that is needed as a result the defendant’s negligence.
Holding a defendant (or its insurance company) directly responsible for malpractice, helps society by placing the responsibility for the losses on the backs of the defendant’s insurance company, instead of the public through tax dollars.
Second, compensation sends a message to the defendant, and others in a similar position, that the community is watching them.
Just like in the criminal arena, there is a “deterrent effect” that is created by making a civil defendant pay compensation directly to an injured person.
It has been long recognized by legal scholars that society is benefited by holding all defendants accountable for their negligence because it shows the defendant that it cannot get away with violating safe and acceptable standards of conduct in our society.
This is the beauty of our legal system, both criminal and civil, in that we enlist members of the public to serve as jurors and actively participate in reaching verdicts that will make society safer for them and their own families.
Every plaintiff’s verdict that a jury reaches says two things:
To me, this is the greatest part of our jury system.
To help someone who is in need, and simultaneously reprimand a defendant who has acted in such a way that society rejects.
Please let us know what you think.
Here, at The DiPietro Law Firm, we’re committed to helping victims of sexual abuse and assault find the justice they deserve.
All information discussed during our consultations always remains completely 100% confidential.
Would you like our help?
Founder Anthony T. DiPietro, Esq. is a compassionate and skilled trial attorney who has completely dedicated the past 23 years of his career to litigating medical malpractice and sexual abuse cases against major corporate institutions including hospitals, medical clinics, schools, and other wrongdoers.
Mr. DiPietro has also obtained some of New York State’s highest verdicts and settlements, and has been selected to New York State Super Lawyers® each year, for the past 10 years in a row.
In 2022, Mr. DiPietro was selected as one of America’s Top 100 High-Stakes Litigators for the landmark cases he’s won on behalf of survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Here, at The DiPietro Law Firm, we’re committed to helping victims of sexual abuse and assault find the justice they deserve.
All information discussed during our consultations always remains completely 100% confidential.
Would you like our help?
In an ideal world, doctors and other medical practitioners would be focused solely on patient care. Their single priority would be patient health and all
A lot of attention was paid in 2011 to the dangers of driving while distracted. Media reports and safety campaigns have encouraged drivers to put
Years of Abuse: 1987 – 2016
Brief:
Robert Hadden, a disgraced Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB/GYN) who worked for Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, was criminally convicted in 2016 of sexually exploiting and abusing patients under the guise of medical care.
Hadden used his position of authority and trust to sexually exploit women and girls for nearly three decades as a Columbia University physician.
All the while, Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital administrators turned their backs and ignored reports of Hadden’s abuse, gaslighting patients and the public.
Read More:
Years of Abuse: 1979 – 2022
Brief:
David H. Broadbent is a former OB/GYN under criminal investigation and facing civil lawsuits for sexual abuse of patients.
Broadent worked at multiple medical facilities in the Provo, Orem and Salt Lake City, UT areas.
These facilities included Intermountain Healthcare’s Utah Valley Hospital, MountainStar Healthcare’s Timpanogos Hospital, other Utah health care providers, and he also had adverse action taken against his medical license back in 1990.
Read More:
Years of Abuse: 1990 – 2016
Read More: University of Southern California & Predator George Tyndall
Years of Abuse: 1961 – 1996
Brief:
22 predator teachers and administrators, over the course of 35 years.
Years of Abuse: 1960 – 1982
If you have any questions about whether or not you have a case, or just want to obtain more information about what you’ve experienced – feel free to contact us through our secure website chat.
You can also contact us by calling us at (212) 233-3600 or toll free at (800) 215-1003.
All of our consultations are free and 100% confidential. Thank you.
