Defense Verdict: Medical Malpractice (Sumner County, Tennessee)

Nashville Partner John Floyd, Jr., and Associate, Libby Schuerman, obtained a defense verdict last week on behalf a pediatric dentist in a medical malpractice case in Sumner County, Tennessee.

This case involved an intraoperative burn to a patient during a dental procedure in the operating room. The patient was under general anesthesia during the procedure due to her complex medical history, which included cerebral palsy. Plaintiffs alleged that our client improperly utilized a hand-held instrument during the procedure resulting in a burn to the patient’s lip and permanent scar. The defense maintained that the instrument was defective and upon realizing it was defective the doctor immediately ceased using the instrument. The hospital’s nurse discarded the instrument at the end of the procedure and the Judge issued a spoilation charge over our objection.

After a week of trial, the jury returned a complete defense verdict.

Congratulations to John and Libby on this outstanding result.