Our firm is proud to announce that we have won a record $7,919,000 verdict for an elderly patient who suffered a stroke due to medical malpractice. Our client, a 77-year-old woman, suffered from atrial fibrillation and had received a pacemaker and defibrillator in 2008. Five years later, she suffered a massive stroke that paralyzed the left side of her body.
In our case, our the jury held her cardiologist and electrophysiologist (a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm) accountable for their decision to take her off Coumadin—a blood thinner designed to prevent strokes and blood clot formation. Both strokes and blood clots are a severe risk associated with her condition. In addition to other defense tactics, the defendant argued for reduced damages due to our client’s age and life expectancy.
We’re happy to report that the jury wasn’t swayed by such cynical arguments—of the $7,919,000 awarded to our client, $6.25 million was for pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life and other elements of general damages permitted under Florida law.
This verdict appears to be the largest ever returned by a Florida jury for a medical malpractice victim aged 70 or older.
Won Despite Poor Conditions for Medical Malpractice Victims
Florida law is notorious for limiting the compensation available to victims of medical malpractice. The obstacles that malpractice cases have to overcome in order to win sizable awards are such that verdicts are rare—and are even more rarely as sizable as this result. Our blog has reported extensively about medical malpractice legislation in our state—particular the caps that keep victims from getting the compensation they need to recover and move forward.
All that to say: we’re proud to have helped our client get the justice and financial support she needed to move forward with peace. Regardless of the age of the victim, medical malpractice needs to be held accountable and seen for what it is—a grievous violation of a patient’s trust in their doctor’s care, expertise, and attention.
For more about medical malpractice law in Florida, read the following blog: