Faithful readers will recall blog we presented several weeks ago: Guess Who’s Back Trying Med Mal Cases? John Edwards.
To refresh:
Edwards, 60, is one of three lawyers representing the parents of a 4-year-old Virginia boy who was 3 months old in 2009 when he was under the care of physicians and staff at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, now Vidant Medical Center. The hospital is accused of failing to ensure the baby received adequate oxygen, resulting in a brain injury.
On Tuesday, Edwards questioned and selected potential jurors to hear the case against University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, now Vidant Health Systems, the umbrella organization that includes Vidant Medical Center, and Craig A. Sisson, an emergency room physician there in 2009.
The case went to trial. The result. A mistrial. Edwards noted he would ask for a retrial.
“I was happy to be back in the courtroom. We fought like crazy for this kid. That’s what this case was all about,” Edwards told WNCT-TV outside the courthouse.
The case wasn’t a bust, though. Plaintiffs and the hospital apparently settled for $13M. So, attorneys fee were what? Who knows? Typically, when a case goes to trial, it’s 40% after expenses.
If the case is retried, they’ll be able to go one more round against the emergency room doctor.
Definitely a more lucrative gig than being President of the USA – at least while in office.
Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO) have stats that show one bad medico-legal case every 20y of practice. Present “Registrar”(CEO) CPSO Rocco GERACE was an ER doc who took a safe desk job.