Enjuris Blog | Find Answers and Share Your Accident's Story

Finding answers after your accident

24/7 Free Consult   (800) 734-4134    Log in
  • Find a Lawyer
  • Accident Resources
    • Personal Injury Law
      • You’ve been hurt. Now what?
      • Do I have a claim?
      • Finding the best attorney to represent you
      • Dealing with Insurance
      • Laws by State
      • View all
    • Accident Types
      • Car accident
      • Truck Accident
      • Workplace injury
      • Wrongful death
      • View all
    • Workers’ Comp
      • Common work injuries
      • Finding the best workers’ comp lawyers
      • How workers’ comp benefits work
      • Personal injury vs. workers’ compensation
      • View all
    • Injury Guides
      • Spinal Cord/Column
      • Brain Injury
      • Occupational injuries
      • Whiplash
      • View all
    • More
      • Blog
      • Tell Your Story
      • Forms and Worksheets
      • Videos
      • For Students
      • About Us
  • Attorney Marketing
    • Become a partner
    • Contribute to our blog
    • Join lawyer directory
    • Enjuris Excellence badge
Home > Blog > News Stories > Michigan Teen Wins Largest-Ever Medical Malpractice Settlement

Michigan Teen Wins Largest-Ever Medical Malpractice Settlement

Contributor: Jennifer Kilgore How can I contribute?

Medical malpractice in Detroit - from Enjuris.com, a personal injury lawyer directory

There have been many notable personal injury awards and judgments in recent years.

  • In 2011, A Texas boy was awarded a symbolic $150 billion after he was sexually assaulted by a teenager and then burned over 99% of his body.
  • Betty Bullock, a Florida woman and lifelong smoker, won $28 billion against cigarette manufacturer Phillip Morris back in 2002, though it was later reduced on appeal.
  • That same year, a Kansas jury awarded Georgia Hayes $2.2 billion after it was discovered her pharmacist was watering down chemotherapy drugs.

Medical malpractice cases are typically more difficult because this type of award is capped in some states. Colorado, for instance, instituted damage caps on medical malpractice cases so that the award cannot be larger than $1 million, and no more than $300,000 can be for pain and suffering. A jury might want to award $50 million for a botched surgery, but in Colorado, those damages would be reduced accordingly.

This means that there is no rhyme or reason to medical malpractice lawsuits. It also means you will never know when a truly explosive award will shake apart the legal landscape, which is exactly what happened recently in Detroit, Michigan.

A 17-year-old girl named Faith DeGrand was 10 years old when she was admitted to Detroit Medical Center for a routine scoliosis operation. The surgeon placed rods and screws in her spine to correct her spine’s curvature, but this in turn put pressure on her limbs, bowel and bladder.

She remained in agony for 10 days while her surgeon went on two separate vacations. Another doctor eventually intervened and removed the hardware, but the damage was done. Faith now suffers from quadriparesis (inability to control her arms and legs) and incontinence.

Seven years after her horrific injuries, Faith was awarded a record-setting $135 million by the jury, which took only two and a half hours to deliberate. The defendant (Detroit Medical Center and the two surgeons) claimed that Faith had a blood clot, which was the true cause of her injury, and they were helpless to do anything about it. However, Faith’s attorney pointed out that neither imaging nor medical records evidenced a blood clot.

Faith’s attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, told reporters that this was the “largest verdict in the United States for a single medical malpractice case.”

While the $135 million will go a long way considering the intensive long-term medical care that Faith will require, Fieger said this “doesn’t quite feel like a victory.”

This award, even though it’s not the largest ever for a general personal injury case, is certainly the new standard to reach now for individual medical malpractice cases.

What are your thoughts? Let us know below in the comments!

Comments

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Required fields are marked *. While our editors carefully moderate all comments, Enjuris cannot guarantee the authenticity or accuracy of the information contained in the post. Such information should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a professional. We always recommend consulting with an attorney or other legal professional if you require legal advice. Also, know that any information you provide in your comment may be published on our website, so please avoid sharing any confidential, private or personal information that you don’t want to be made public. Lastly, we will not publish any comments that we determine are promotional, hateful or inappropriate.

  1. Margaret Petitti says

    February 18, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    I am trying to find a lawyer for a medical malpractice case. I am having a very hard time with finding a lawyer, who will take my case. I had hernia surgery in, July 2017, and something went wrong with it. I still, vomit and throw up anything solid food since the first surgery. I first, choke then vomit every day and every night, I lost weight, I am now animic and sometimes their is blood in my vomit, where he did the insicion on my stomach, hurts so bad, I cannot even wear pants that are touching it

    Reply
    • Ian Pisarcik says

      February 19, 2019 at 11:46 am

      Margaret,

      I’m sorry you’re going through this. To find a lawyer in your area, try contacting the State Bar (e.g., the Michigan State Bar) or using our free online directory at https://www.enjuris.com/directory/. Just click on your state and a list of personal injury attorneys will appear!

      Reply
Legal Rights Defenders - FREE CONSULTATION 24/7

Categories

  • News Stories
  • My Accident Story
  • Resources You'll Love
  • Questions & Answers

In Your State

AZ CA CO FL GA IN MT NC SC TN TX

Attorney Authors
Enjuris Partners

Denver accident lawyer Mack Babcock

Mack Babcock
The Babcock Law Firm, CO

Texas personal injury and wrongful death lawyer Laura Brown

Laura Brown
Brown Trial Firm, TX

Neal Davis

Neal Davis
Neal Davis Law Firm, TX

Atlanta workers’ compensation attorney

Natalie Elkins
Gerber & Holder Law, GA

Roger Finderson

Roger Finderson
Finderson Law, IN

Jack Fine, personal injury attorney

Jack Fine
Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, FL

Ben Gerber

Ben Gerber
Gerber & Holder Law, GA

Chris Gilreath

Chris Gilreath
Gilreath & Associates, TN

Award-winning Atlanta workers’ compensation attorney

Thomas Holder
Gerber & Holder Law, GA

George Lorenzo

George Lorenzo
Lorenzo & Lorenzo, FL

Matt Murphy

Matt Murphy
Murphy Law Firm, MT

Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy
Murphy Law Firm, MT

Brett Sachs, California accident attorney

Brett Sachs
Sachs Law

Stephanie Tucker, Denver, CO workers' compensation attorney

Stephanie Tucker
The Babcock Law Firm

Attorney Beau Wilder

Beau Wilder
Wilder Pantazis Law Group, NC

Wilder Pantazis Law Group

Rob Wilder
Wilder Pantazis Law Group, NC

Robert E. Wisniewski

Robert E. Wisniewski
Law Offices of Robert E. Wisniewski, AZ

Contributors

  • Terry Bryant
  • Jason Chalik
  • Daniel Clancy
  • Jacob Emrani
  • John Foy
  • Edward Friedman
  • Bert Louthian
  • Joseph Markey
  • Jim Parrish
  • Isaias Valencia
  • Steven G Wigrizer
  • Doug Zanes

Free E-Books

car accident e-book

I've been in a car accident I've been in a truck accident

truck accident e-book

What happens now?

What is Enjuris®?

A collection of resources to help people at a tough time in their lives. A place to share your story. A national directory of injury lawyers. Supporter of students, families, caregivers and our communities. How can I contribute?


Hire the right lawyer (800) 734-4134

Lawyer Directory
Car accident attorneys
Defective product attorneys
Personal injury attorneys
Medical malpractice attorneys
Wrongful death attorneys
Workers' compensation attorneys

Enjuris Partner Accident & Injury Lawyers

Gainesville, FL Personal Injury Attorneys
Tampa Personal Injury Attorneys
Lorenzo & Lorenzo (Tampa, Florida)
Finderson Law (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Wilder Pantazis Law Group (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Brown Trial Firm (Waco, Texas)
The Babcock Law Firm (Denver, Colorado)
Gerber & Holder Law (Atlanta, Georgia)
Law Offices of Robert E. Wisniewski (Phoenix, Arizona)
Murphy Law Firm (Great Falls, Montana)


Law students

Enjuris' Student Center is a resource for all pre-law college students and current law students. Learn how to get ahead in your studies and the career field, as well be a guest contributor to our blog and apply for one of our scholarships.


Partner with us

If your goal is to help people after an accident or injury – or to prevent them in the first place – we'd love to hear from you! We look to work with educators, healthcare and recovery organizations, insurance providers, law firms and other organizations. Get in touch to see how we can work together. Learn more...


Are you a personal injury lawyer?

Login Add your Firm Lawyer online marketing Free resources for attorneys Attorney / SEOs newsletter signup

Contact us today to get involved.
Services for attorneys
Personal Injury Law Firms Directory
Directory guidelines
Law firm SEO quote
Terms of Use


Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Blog Blog feed

SEO Advantage®, Inc.    SEOLegal Division, Lawyer Marketing    3690 West Gandy Blvd., Suite 444    Tampa, FL 33611    Contact us today

Enjuris is a platform dedicated to helping people who are dealing with life-altering accidents and injuries. We support students, families, caregivers and communities with resources, personal stories and a national directory of injury lawyers. Read more about Enjuris.


Copyright © 2022 Enjuris.com. All rights reserved. Terms and conditions The accuracy, completeness, adequacy or currency of the content is not warranted or guaranteed. Our site and services are not substitutes for the advices or services of an attorney. We recommend you consult a lawyer or other appropriate professional if you want legal advice. Privacy policy.

SEOLegal.com

Attention attorneys
and SEO firms
  • Make Enjuris work for your law firm
  • Exclusive offers & discounts
  • Content contribution opportunities