Surgeon in Glasgow, Kentucky Accused of Medical Malpractice

John Parker and Tricia Le Meur successfully defended a local surgeon in Glasgow, Kentucky who was accused of medical malpractice by a former patient who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy (surgical removal of the gallbladder). The right hepatic duct had been inadvertently clipped during surgery, which was not discovered until 12 months after the surgery and resulted in the Plaintiff losing approximately 40% of her liver. The Plaintiff claimed that the surgeon breached the standard of care, and she sought over $2,000,000.00 in damages. The defense demonstrated that the Plaintiff had a rare congenital anomaly of her hepatic anatomy, which, together with her unusual post-surgical presentation, masked the ductal occlusion and precluded the surgeon and the other treating physicians from discovering her condition earlier. After a brief deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the surgeon.