A jury in Las Vegas ordered two drug companies to pay a combined $500 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit stemming from a hepatitis C outbreak in 2008.

According to Clark County District Court documents, Teva Parenteral Medicines and Baxter Healthcare Services must pay Henry and Lorraine Chanin $500 million in punitive damages. Attorneys for the Chanins argued that Henry contracted hepatitis C in 2006 during a routine procedure at Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center.

Baxter Healthcare and Teva provided and distributed the drug propofol to endoscopy clinics around Las Vegas. Health officials say the companies were reusing vials of the drug and infected as many as 114 patients with the incurable liver disease.

The jury ordered Teva to pay the couple $356 million and Baxter to pay $144 million. These punitive awards come on top of more than $5 million already awarded to the couple by the same jury.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of Pennsylvania medical malpractice, please contact the Philadelphia medical negligence lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 215-238-1130.

A woman in Palm Beach County, Florida has been awarded $36 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit stemming from a botched steroid injection.

According to court documents, 52 year-old Kathleen Ramey saw Dr. Andew Weiss after suffering injuries in a car accident. Ramey underwent treatment from Weiss that included steroid injections in September 2000. Following the injections, Ramey was left with a four-inch hole in her spinal cord. Ramey was partially paralyzed after the procedure.

Ramey’s attorney summed up the case by saying, “instead of being pain free and on the road to recovery, Ms. Ramey was left with what amounts to a degenerative condition that is growing worse with time… She only leaves the house for doctor visits and when she does, she suffers the stares of strangers. With one injection, she lost all quality of life.”

Weiss was ordered to pay Ramey $23.6 million and her husband $13 million.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical negligence or medical malpractice in Pennsylvania, please contact a Philadelphia medical injury claim attorney from Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 215-238-1130.

When individuals file medical malpractice claims, they often worry about the prospect of going to trial. Trial can be worrisome because of the time and hassle of court proceedings.

However, many medical malpractice cases never actually make it a formal court proceeding. Instead, both parties typically reach a settlement  and avoid the need to resolve their dispute before a judge. Plaintiffs – especially hospitals and doctors – have a strong incentive to settle out of court to avoid the negative publicity of a long trial.

If you or anyone you know has questions about a possible medical malpractice case, you  need an attorney who can handle in-court proceedings and out-of-court negotiations. Contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130.