A medical malpractice lawsuit in Jacksonville, Florida has ended in a $177 million verdict for the victim.
A 32-year-old man chose the option of gastric bypass surgery in 2007 in order to live a longer, healthier life. He had the surgery in March of that year and days after the surgery began to experience serious complications. These complications ranged from bed sores to brain damage and were determined to be linked to the negligence of the presiding doctors.
It has been four years since the surgery took place and the man can no longer walk and needs help eating, cleaning and bathing on a daily basis. He was wheeled into a conference room after the verdict was determined, with tears streaming down his face. He had tried his best to tell his lawyers that he would happily give back the money if he could function like a normal human being again.
The jury determined that the hospital acted negligently and committed fraud in relation to the man’s weight-loss surgery. They awarded him $167 million for the carelessness of the doctors and $10 million for damages.