$4M Verdict: Medication Error Leads to Severe Hip Injuries

The hospital defended their actions by stating that the patient had been informed of the general risk of avascular necrosis, negating the need for further details to be provided. They argued that the IBD clinic was not obliged to offer alternative treatment with long-term steroid-free medications earlier and that the avascular necrosis was a result of the underlying Crohn's disease rather than steroid usage. Additionally, the hospital maintained that since the patient received top-of-the-line hip replacements and had no ongoing medical needs, he had suffered no damages. Because the trial judge refused to allow a video of the hip surgeries to be shown to the jury, attorneys Katie Bertram and Kieran Murphy of Washington, DC law firm Bertram & Murphy needed other compelling visual evidence necessary to convey the full extent of their client's losses and injuries.

Utilizing state-of-the-art medical demonstratives, which included the patient's actual radiographic imaging, Counsel was able to demonstrate the severity of the injury caused by prolonged steroid use, and the invasive, bilateral hip replacements that were subsequently required. The result was a $4M verdict.