On April 1, 2016, Jamie Hawkins went to her dermatologist at New York Dermatology & Mohs Surgery Group in Commack to check out a skin lesion on her head. She was seen by a physician’s assistant who found nothing suspicious and advised her it was nothing to be concerned about. On May 19, 2017, after nagging concerns about the lesion, Ms. Hawkins consulted a new dermatologist who took a biopsy and discovered that she had a malignant melanoma on her scalp. Ms. Hawkins, then 30 years old, sued her former dermatology group and the physician’s assistant claiming that they were negligent when, o ..read more

In August of 2014, while traveling in France, Lourdes Ameziani thought she was pregnant. She bought a home pregnancy test and the result was positive. She called her obstetrician in New York who told her to come to the office for a more definitive blood test. She flew home but woke up on the next day, August 6th, with abdominal pain and nausea before she arrived at her doctor’s office, took the blood test and was told that she was in fact pregnant. For her pain and nausea, Ms. Ameziani, then 41 years old, was given Tylenol. Later that day, at home, the pain was unrelenting so she called her d ..read more

On September 2, 2012, Joseph Stewart was admitted to New York Hospital Queens complaining of persistent headaches. Blood tests revealed abnormally high leukocytes indicating an infection. Ten days later he was transferred to a rehabilitation facility but had to be returned to the hospital after his leukocyte level kept climbing and he was exhibiting unusual confusion. Mr. Stewart, a 73 year old retiree, died at the hospital 28 days after his initial admission. The cause of death was acute bacterial meningitis and a mycotic aneurysm. New York Hospital Queens In the ensuing medical malpractice l ..read more

On December 8, 2001, Miguel Nesbitt was sent to a jail on Rikers Island in New York City to await trial on several felony charges. Earlier that year, while in Florida prison on federal marijuana charges, he tested positive for tuberculosis and was promptly placed on an antibiotic known as Isoniazid (“INH”). Mr. Nesbitt’s INH treatment continued until April 5, 2002 when he was placed in solitary confinement for 55 days (for verbal abuse of the Rikers staff). Upon his release from solitary, he was sick and in pain. Mr. Nesbitt, only 23 years old, was suffering from severe liver disease and, on ..read more

On August 10, 2012, Audrey Appleyard underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her knee. The surgery was performed properly and uneventfully and Ms. Appleyard, then 59 years old, was discharged home that evening. A week later, though, she presented to the emergency rom at Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie complaining of pain, redness and purulent drainage from her surgical site. She was diagnosed with a post-operative infection (later determined to be Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA), admitted and treated with Vancomycin, a powerful antibiot ..read more

In March 2009, Rakefet Grullon was admitted to a hospital in Manhasset following the sudden onset of symptoms, including shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling of the neck. A CT scan revealed a very large mass, and a biopsy of the mass confirmed the diagnosis of lymphoma. Ms. Grullon, then 33 years old, was treated with the administration of  chemotherapy via a mediport which was implanted in her chest wall and accessed  with a  needle in order to deliver the  medications. Shortly after beginning the administration of Adriamycin, the needle became displaced and the toxic ..read more

On December 31, 2013, Carola Rozon, then 65 years old, underwent cataract removal and lens replacement surgery on her right eye. The surgery, using a technique called Phacoemulsification, was unsuccessful and led to vision loss in the eye. Ms. Rozon, sued her eye surgeon claiming that he was negligent and caused her injuries when he removed an intraocular lens from her eye through an incision he’d made that was too small for the lens. The Manhattan jury agreed and found the surgeon liable and they awarded pain and suffering damages in the sum of  $1,150,000 ($650,000 past –  si ..read more

On June 1, 2010, Vashti Daisley arrived at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. She was in the late stages of pregnancy and had complaints of decreased fetal movement. After undergoing testing, Ms. Daisley was discharged to home. The next day, she underwent an emergency Caesarean section and her son Kendrick Young was born (at a different hospital). Unfortunately, Kendrick suffered permanent brain damage and, on his behalf, his mother sued Vassar Brothers Medical Center and its doctors claiming that she was prematurely discharged from the hospital on June 1st and that had a Caesare ..read more

On June 27, 2012, a two and a half year old boy born with a hole in his heart underwent atrial septal defect repair open heart surgery at Montefiore Hospital in Manhattan. His sternum was sawed and forced open, he was put on bypass while his heart was lifted from his chest and repaired and then his bones were sutured together with wire. He awoke from surgery with a scar down his chest, a breathing tube down his throat, a drainage tube, a Foley catheter and intravenous needles in his jugular vein and arm. The surgery was successful but a needle fragment was mistakenly left behind in the boy’s ..read more

On June 11, 2013, Carlyle Roberts was brought by ambulance to Kings County Hospital after being involved in a hit-and-run car crash. He was treated for a fractured ankle and a head injury. Mr. Roberts underwent surgery for his ankle injury but his hospitalization was extended for weeks because he had symptoms from subdural hematomas. On July 23, 2013, Mr. Roberts, then 67 years old and retired, sustained a stroke that left him with extensive permanent injuries. He sued the hospital claiming a failure to timely address an advancing subdural hematoma. The Kings County jury determined that the h ..read more