Knowledgeable and Experienced Guidance

Court awards patient $4M in misdiagnosis case

On Behalf of | May 5, 2014 | Doctor Errors |

Members of the medical community in North Carolina may take note of the outcome of a recent case in New York City. A patient who claimed he was misdiagnosed by his doctor was awarded $4 million by a court for his ordeal.

In 2004, the patient initially scheduled an appointment with a doctor at Mount Sinai Medical Center because he was experiencing frequent falls. The doctor diagnosed him with myasthenia gravis and prescribed a treatment plan that included the removal of his thymus and more than 70 sessions of blood treatments in addition to other medications. Despite the aggressive treatment regimen, the patient continued to experience frequent falls.

When the patient’s original doctor left Mount Sinai to work for the Hospital for Special Surgery, a new physician examined him and gave him medication to control a different condition, cataplexy. According to the patient, the new treatments worked and he no longer experiences the falls he once did. He sued his original physician and claimed that the treatments he endured after he was misdiagnosed with myasthenia gravis caused him to suffer from hypertension and gain about 80 pounds. A court awarded the patient in this case $4 million in damages. A lawyer for the physician indicated that his client plans to appeal.

Those who have be adversely impacted as the direct result of receiving unnecessary treatments as a result of a doctor error may be able to seek compensation for their misdiagnosis in a court of law. Attorneys working in the area of medical malpractice may be able to help their clients to gather evidence supporting their claim and present a solid case which may lead to a favorable court judgment or out-of-court settlement.

Source: The Jewish Voice, “NYC Doctor’s Error Leads to $4M Settlement”, Cham Sternberg, April 23, 2014