Noteworthy Verdicts
Bronx County Defense Verdict in Patient Death Case
Mr. Jakub obtained a unanimous defense verdict on behalf of three family practice physicians following a three week jury trial in Bronx County. The physicians were primary caregivers to a 36 year-old female who died from a ruptured aortic dissection after being seen by her primary care physicians several times over a two week period, immediately before her death.
Mr. Jakub was able to overcome documentation shortcomings in the physicians’ office notes, the sympathetic nature of the claims asserted against his clients and the close temporal relationship between the office visits and the patient’s death. The patient’s final visit with one of the physicians occurred four hours before she expired. Despite these hurdles, the jury determined that each of the three physicians acted reasonably in their evaluations of the patient’s numerous complaints and symptoms offered over several office visits in the time period leading up to her death.
