Defense Verdict: Collier County, Florida (Medical Malpractice)

Naples Partners, Ashley Withers, Lindsey Grossman, and Kevin Crews, obtained a defense verdict this week in a wrongful death case in Collier County, Florida.

We represented the hospital and a cardiothoracic surgeon in this case, in which the decedent underwent a coronary artery bypass graft. The CABG was successful, but the patient subsequently had a stroke and died, leaving behind a surviving child. Plaintiff’s counsel alleged that our client doctor breached the standard of care by not consulting vascular surgery when carotid stenosis was discovered during the CABG workup, and further alleged that this failure caused the decedent’s death. The defense argued that the standard of care for asymptomatic, unilateral carotid stenosis did not require a vascular consult or any additional treatment modalities before CABG recovery was complete.

Plaintiff’s counsel refused to make a pre-trial demand, and after six days of trial, asked the jury for $10 million in closing arguments. The jury deliberated less than an hour before returning a complete defense verdict in favor of the hospital and the cardiothoracic surgeon.

Congratulations Ashley, Lindsey, and Kevin on this outstanding outcome.