In the many years that I have practiced medical malpractice in Cook County and Illinois, my clients have warned me that the pertinant medical records in their case had been falsified, changed, deleted or simply removed from the hospital and medical charts. In Illinois, the “intentional destruction, mutilation, alteration or…
When you go for an MRI at a local Chicago hospital you expect that the technician interpreting it will give a clear and correct diagnosis. However, oftentimes the MRI and other scans that are the basis for the medical treatment and care prescribed by our doctors are simply not reliable…
Chicago’s 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a ruling that had dismissed a prisoner’s medical malpractice claim against his prison. Inmate Diego Gil brought a suit against the Federal Correctional Institution of Oxford, Wisconsin, claiming negligence and medical malpractice under the Federal Torts Claim Act, along with a violation of…
A Cook County jury verdict was entered in favor of the University of Chicago Hospitals in a 2005 trial and was upheld on appeal to the Illinois Appellate Court (Kashief Weathers et al. v. University of Chicago Hospitals, et al., No. 1-061726). In the case, several doctors were accused of…
When you go to the hospital for a surgery you are seen by a bevy of treaters- anesthesiologist, surgeon, attending physician, residents, etc. And all of them are employed by the hospital, right? Wrong. Many of the physicians that practice at a hospital are actually independent contractors and the hospital…
Patient responsibility is a common phrase bantered around in medical negligence cases. It refers to the patient’s obligation to accurately represent their symptoms and complaints. The main reason this is an issue hinges on the fact that a large part of what a treating physician relies on, at least in…
A Lake County, Illinois circuit court presided over Muno v. Condell Medical Center, et al., (No. 2-06-0587), a medical negligence case where a minor died after the planned surgery failed with respect to the anesthesiology provided. In this case, the anesthesiologist and his group decided not to bill the family…
Loyola University Medical Center was held liable by a Cook County jury in 2006 for “institutional negligence” involving the unsuccessful heart transplantation attempt of Carl Longnecker, the plaintiff decedent. The hospital was held liable for not ensuring that a doctor understood his role on the heart transplant team. At the…
In a sharply divided decision, 4-3, the Illinois Supreme Court held that plaintiffs who are allowed to refile a case after a voluntary nonsuit, would still be allowed 90 days after the refiling to present the required Section 2-622 affidavit of a physician or other medical provider to certify that…
June 18, 2008- After a lengthy mediation session led by retired Cook County Circuit Court Judge Stuart Nudelman, the defendants, Victor Colin, M.D. and his professional practice, Elgin Family Physicians, agreed to settle the Illinois wrongful death case of decedent, Timothy. Kreisman Law Offices handled the Illinois wrongful death claim…