Settlements & Verdicts
Broken Needle Left inside Patient Results in $915,000 Verdict in Summary Jury Trial Proceeding
When GCF’s client was discharged from a local hospital after a routine surgical procedure, she expected to make a speedy recovery. Instead she spent months battling unexplained pelvic pain. She returned to the doctor who performed the surgery and to the hospital where the surgery was performed on numerous occasions, each time without an answer as to what was causing her symptoms. Eventually, her family doctor became concerned about the unexplained pain and ordered a CT Scan, which revealed a 1.5 centimeter broken suture needle approximately two millimeters from her bladder. The patient required an open abdominal procedure to remove the needle and obtained an infection as a result. A review of the patient’s records not only revealed that the needle had been left behind during the initial surgery, but that both the doctor and hospital administrators knew it was inside her body when she left the hospital.
A Summary Jury Trial (SJT) was ordered by the Court to issue an advisory ruling on the case being prosecuted by GCF’s Trial Team, led by David Carter and Jason Odom. On Nov. 10th the jury selected jointly by the parties returned a verdict against both the doctor and the hospital and awarded GCF’s client $915,000. The SJT process is utilized by the Court as a method to facilitate settlement without the cost of a complete trial. However, the result is not binding, and if no resolution is reached between the parties, GCF attorneys will present this case to a jury in a full trial early next year.
Wrongful Death Settlement
Gould Cooksey Fennell represented the family of an 83 year old woman that was killed when her car was struck by a 18-wheeler on SR 60 in Vero Beach, FL. The decendent’s adult children agreed to proceed as her statutory survivors and obtained a settlement of $400,000.
$1.64 Million Dollars Awarded by Jury to 86 Year Old Couple
Obtained a Trial Verdict of $1.64 million dollars for injuries sustained by an 86 year old woman in a rollover accident on SR 60 in Vero Beach, Florida. After prolonged hospitalization, Mrs. Koebele never fully recovered and an Indian River County Jury awarded $1,170,130 for her injuries and $475,000 for her husband’s consortium claim.
Laporte v. State of Florida
Laura Laporte sustained numerous orthopedic injuries as a result of the negligence of a driver working for the State of Florida Department of Agriculture. At trial, the case resulted in a verdict of $5,582,776.82. Because the government’s damages are statutorily limited to $100,000 under Sovereign Immunity laws, Gould Cooksey Fennell’s Personal Injury Group was forced to fight in the Legislature for several years to pursue the passage of a Claims Bill. Ultimately a Bill was passed for 40 times the statutory limitations.
$750,000 Summary Jury Verdict against Assisted Living Facility
The Personal Injury Group obtained a $750,000 summary jury verdict, plus entitlement to punitive damages, against an assisted living facility who was found to have engaged in gross negligence. Albert Williams, a resident at the facility, was allowed by the facility’s staff to wander off premises by himself and on foot, even though the facility knew and believed that it was unsafe for him to do so. To make matters worse, Mr. Williams’ family was not timely notified of the situation, which prevented the family from taking action to protect him. Unfortunately, Mr. Williams was allowed to wander off premises for a third and final time, and the facility failed to recognize that he was missing until he had been gone for 24 hours. Mr. Williams was later found by law enforcement, deceased, six days later. Following the verdict rendered by the summary jury panel, the case settled for a confidential amount.
Confidential Settlement in Wrongful Death of Mother
Gould Cooksey Fennell served as Co-Counsel in a Georgia case involving alleged misdiagnosis/mistreatment of preeclampsia resulting in the death of a 39 year old mother.
Take advantage of a free phone consultation with an experienced Vero Beach Personal Injury lawyer today. Call us at (722) 497-6903 or (866) 930-4803.