A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday upheld a $7.5 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit, in favor of an Air Force spouse who was disabled at a base clinic in Guam.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled Wednesday that the negligence of Air Force medical staff at the Andersen Air Force Base clinic in 2004 directly resulted in Deborah Rutledge suffering severe nerve damage, losing most sensation below her waist, and becoming permanently incontinent.
The court affirmed a 2008 Guam district court judge’s ruling, saying the $7.5 million verdict was not excessive considering the extent of her injuries, which were caused when clinic staff failed – for several weeks – to diagnose a herniated spinal disc. According to court documents, a nurse and a doctor’s assistant at the clinic failed to do basic medical examinations for numbness, and did not report Rutledge’s case to supervisors.
If you have been a victim of medical malpractice or hospital negligence, please contact a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 215-238-1130.