Lawyers at DBMS successfully litigate a wide variety of civil cases and argue appeals in some of the most challenging jurisdictions in the country.

Professional Liability

Leffelman-Barton v. Defendant Physician

Client:

Defendant Physician

Outcome:

Defense Verdict

Synopsis:

Plaintiff, a 19-year-old nurse’s aid, underwent an anterior-posterior spinal fusion with instrumentation. Post-operatively, plaintiff developed a deep wound infection at the iliac crest bone graft donor site that tracked to the spine.

Plaintiff required six subsequent surgeries for the back wound. Plaintiff claimed unnecessary and overly extensive surgery resulting in postoperative infection.

Defendant contended all diagnostic tests, coupled with the plaintiff’s disability, indicated the need for surgery and the technique was appropriate. The post-operative infection was a dormant staph infection that could not be diagnosed until a year after surgery.

The jury returned a defense verdict.