Bobby Hood Jr. Obtains Defense Verdict for General Surgeon

IADC member, Bobby Hood, Jr., and Jeffrey Bogdan obtained a defense verdict for a general surgeon and his practice on April 14, 2011 in Greenville County, South Carolina. The Plaintiff filed a medical malpractice action against the surgeon who was treating a forty-five year old woman for gallbladder disease. After providing informed consent of the risks of the surgery to the Plaintiff, the physician performed an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The Plaintiff alleged that the surgeon misidentified the anatomical landmarks thereby severing the common bile duct and the hepatic bile duct during the surgery. The severed ducts were discovered six days later and the patient was referred to the nearby medical university for the repair surgery. Her repair surgery was complicated by other conditions and she had over $300,000.00 in medical expenses. The Defendants were able to prove the injury was an unfortunate but a known complication of the procedure and not caused by a deviation from the standard of care. Further, the Defendants argued there was no evidence that the Plaintiff would incur any future medical expenses related to the incident or her life will be affected in any way. All evidence showed that the reparative surgery was successful. After a four day trial, the jury returned a verdict for the Defendants.