5 largest malpractice payouts in 2024

In 2023, malpractice verdicts hit a record high, with 57 medical malpractice verdicts of $10 million or more, and more than half of those verdicts exceeding $25 million. 

Here are the five largest malpractice payouts from the last year, according to a report from MDLinx:

1. In the largest settlement in U.S. history, St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Johns Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital was found liable for mismanaging and mistreating a young patient, resulting in a $261 million payout. 

The hospital has since filed an appeal in the case, arguing that it wasn't allowed a fair trial. The appeal, submitted Aug. 2 to Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeal, requests the court overturn the final judgment issued by Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Hunter Carroll. The judgment awarded the Kowalski family, who filed a lawsuit against the hospital in 2018, $208 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The hospital seeks a ruling in its favor regarding the claims of wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment. 

2. In March, a jury found Detroit-based Henry Ford Health negligent in failing to perform a timely cesarean section. A jury awarded $120 million to a family after their son sustained severe injuries during his birth at a hospital affiliated with Henry Ford Health.

In 2010, the mother of the child arrived at Henry Ford Hospital. She was at term but not near delivery. Following the mother's admission to the hospital, the fetal monitor detected concerning fetal heart tones, prompting a decision to perform a C-section. The C-section was delayed by two hours, causing the son to experience severe asphyxiation, leading to the development of cerebral palsy and irreversible brain damage.

3. In February, a jury awarded $75.6 million in a case involving a twin delivery at the University of Chicago Medicine in 2018. Following the delivery of the first twin, complications arose when doctors, including a fourth-year resident under supervision, attempted an unnecessary manual rotation of the second twin from head-down to breech, causing permanent injuries, including cognitive delays and a brachial plexus injury.

4. In August, a jury awarded Anna Giacomi $47 million for gross negligence against Union General Hospital and James Heaton, MD. The jury ruled that the hospital's failure to address an infection after a donkey attack led to necrotizing fasciitis and the plaintiff losing part of her arm and leg.

5. In April, a family reached a $32.5 million settlement in a case against a Reading, Penn.-based hospital. The suit alleges hospital staff failed to recognize the signs of chorioamnionitis in the mother and fetal distress in the unborn child in time.

According to the report, proper identification could have prompted an intervention with antibiotics or a cesarean delivery. Instead, they conducted a forceps - and vacuum-assisted delivery.

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